Detective Levi
by gabrielle015
Summary: Detective Levi is assigned to find a kidnapped Grisha Yeager and protect Eren Yeager. Easy enough; he's done much worse. But what happens when gunshots and car chases are no longer the most dangerous things Levi faces? What happens when he faces love? With a seventeen-year-old hothead to be exact.
1. Chapter 1

Friday night; the night that everyone wants to go out because they've been working like dogs the entire week and they needed to enjoy themselves.

Most people his age were out getting drunk and finding somebody to couple with for the night, but Levi was different. Matter of fact, he couldn't remember a time where he cared about drinking himself sick, and he never had to try too hard to find somebody to sleep with. Hangovers weren't fun, and sex was just sex. He could go out any time and try to entertain himself, but he was content with the serenity and solitude of his own apartment. The nice side of town, 34th floor, marble and ivory accents, black mustang. Everything he wanted. So, at midnight, all he wanted was sleep. Because he was one of those people that worked like a dog all week, but didn't go out to relieve the strain.

However, just when he was about to get what he wanted, his cell phone emitted a shrill ringtone, signaling none other than his asshole of a boss.

"This better be important."

_"Levi,"_ Erwin spoke urgently through the phone _"I wouldn't call you at this time of night if it wasn't. We need you to come in."_

It was true that Erwin Smith never called Levi this late at night for any reason. Not as a friend or boss. Levi had a strict no call policy after 10 pm, or just whenever he didn't feel like answering the phone.

The drive to the address was tedious. All the drunken walkers, drivers, and heavy traffic had Levi glaring at every turn. When he finally made it out of the busy city and into a quieter part, he took in his surroundings.

There were large houses on this side, suggesting gated communities. A golf club around the corner he turned, adjoined by a curved lake indicated one thing.

It was the Trost area-an area of the city that people hated because of all the rich, pompous assholes. They were people that were born into riches, and hardly worked for it. They were people that constantly held gatherings at the famous golf club in order to celebrate nothing, and to boast their wealth and fortune.

There was nothing wrong with money, but Levi disliked when people wasted money like they wasted their words.

Unsurprisingly, his location was a large, white house with a nice sized yard and driveway. Most likely the house of a doctor, Levi speculated.

There were two police cars outside, their lights no longer flashing as Levi pulled up. Before he even got out of the car, he saw a teenage girl standing in the yard with a blond haired boy, about the same age, on her arm. They were listening to none other than Erwin Smith.

Getting out, Levi smoothed down his overcoat as if on instinct and walked up to the scene. The front door of the house was open leaving a nice home on the inside to his view or what would have been if it weren't for the broken glass and random droplets of blood on the eggshell walls and marble floor. He decided to approach Erwin first, and the man finished whatever he was saying to introduce him.

"This is detective Levi. He will helping with your friend's situation," he paused, gesturing Levi to the two teens. "Levi, this is Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert, the two friends of Eren Jaeger."

The two teens gave words of greeting, but Levi did not reply. Instead, he went into the house to find this so called victim Erwin had told him about on the phone.

Seventeen-year-old Eren Jaeger was witness to his father's brutal kidnapping. He had also been caught in crossfire when he was knocked out by one of three men. And since Trost was such a large area, the houses were spaced out more than normal, so there were no neighbors to report any signs of suspicious activity. The boy had not seen the faces of the men because they wore masks, and despite all the high tech paraphernalia in the house, there was no camera system.

There was almost nothing to go on.

This wasn't the first time Levi had been dragged into a case with barely any evidence; it never intimidated him either. There was always a flaw somewhere in the system, because nothing was one hundred percent perfect.

He walked slowly down the entrance hallway, surveying the broken glass of vases that had once perched on mahogany decorative tables. There were tiny specks of blood here and there, suggesting someone had been injured; most likely Grisha Jaeger.

When he reached the end of the entrance, he saw two policemen talking to someone on the couch. The couch was faced away from the entrance, so Levi didn't see a face, but he knew it must be the boy. There was one crime scene investigator with a large camera photographing anything and everything; the flashes going off in five-second intervals.

Levi looked around the nice living room and saw an arched fireplace in front of the couch. The mantel above was decorated with family photos; faces that he couldn't make out and that didn't matter to him. There was a hallway on the east side of the living room leading to the dining area and kitchen, and a set of spiral stairs on the west side. It was a nice place.

He mentally sighed and decided it was time to meet the victim. Approaching the couch in quiet strides, he circled around until he was standing directly in front of Eren, in between the two cops.

This was the part he hated the most.

He was greeted with a forlorn expression-confusion, anger, sadness, and a hint of something else he didn't know, mixed together in two large green orbs. There was also a noticeable bruise on the left temple, not easily concealed by the black-brown hair on the victim's head. The boy had been sweating, most likely, because it was curled at the ends and clung to his forehead as if soaked.

Fists bunched up, breathing steadily, tan skin. This was Eren Jaeger.

The seventeen-year-old glanced up at him and held his gaze; something that not many people did. Even the people who knew him personally avoided eye contact with him for several reasons. But this teen, the one who didn't have enough sense to go to the hospital, was defying that normality.

"You need a bandaged for that."

Eren only blinked his eyes once slowly, and lowered his gaze back to whatever he was looking at before. His hands, his lap, the ground, the depths of hell; Levi had no idea. But he was intent on looking down; as if he would miss something important happen beneath him if he looked away again. Levi turned to the officer next to him, a younger man, and began to speak without bothering to lower his voice.

"Did he see a medic?" Levi asked.

"N-no, detective," The cop stuttered under Levi's hard gaze. "He refused the help from EMT's. He seems completely coherent, though." He spoke, as if Eren wasn't sitting right in front of them.

Levi turned to look at Eren once again. his gaze still downward. Levi would have to talk to him.

That was never an issue, but Levi hated the swirl of emotions people emitted when they had lost someone or something. He himself knew about loss. He had lost so much growing up, but he had never let it deter him. He kept a straight face, same bored eyes, same low voice, same everything since adolescent years. If he could do it despite everything that had happened to him, so could other people.

With a quick gesture of a hand, the two cops dismissed themselves, and Levi sat next to Jaeger on the couch; as far away as possible of course.

"Your friends are outside." He started.

"I phoned them after I woke up to call the police." Eren answered in a voice so steady it surprised Levi. His voice definitely betrayed his looks, or the other way around.

"Your mother?" Levi inquired.

"Died when I was five. Bad car accident." Was the steady answer.

"You currently have no guardians. Temporary foster care is available for situations like this." Levi reminded. He would have to be put in foster care temporarily, so long as it takes to locate Grisha; given that he wasn't dead beforehand. This was the first time Levi had to deal with a case that involved someone younger than eighteen. He guessed that last comment got to the boy, because Eren looked over at him, anger laced in his puffy eyes, with a just as angry expression on his face.

"I'm not doing that," he protested, his voice not quite so steady. "I can take care of myself."

Levi sighed.

"By law, you are required to-"

"Screw the law!" Eren yelled. "The law isn't so strong if it lets shit like this happen!" He gestured to the hallway. Levi didn't waver; if anything, he cocked his left eyebrow at the sudden outburst, totally unfazed.

"The law is what's going to help you find your father. Look, I'm not in here to offer condolences, or pat your back. I'm the one that's going to find your father, dead or alive. So let's establish ground rules."

He took a breath and resumed.

"One, you are going to lower your voice. Two, you are going to answer each question I ask honestly. Three, don't piss me off. Is that clear, Jaeger?"

His voice had remained low, but stern the entire time. He watched the teen go through a line of emotions. Anger for being chastised, confusion for whatever reason, and sadness probably because Levi had said 'dead or alive.' He didn't know if the boy was used to getting talked to like that, and he didn't care. Not only was Levi too sleepy for anyone's bullshit, but he was also too dignified for anyone's bullshit. And that commonality wouldn't change tonight.

"Yes sir." Eren answered with his voice cracking. He dropped his gaze, but only to avoid looking Levi in the eyes. 'Good' he thought, 'he's a fast learner.'

"Relay today's events for me, starting with the hour you woke up to this present moment. Go."

Levi listened intently as Eren obeyed. He noticed how the boy's voice would raise in pitch only a little higher when any detail of his day involved his father.

Apparently he had woken up at 6 a.m. to get ready for school. His dad was an early bird; up working in his office as usual. Armin Arlert's grandfather transported him, Armin, and Mikasa Ackerman to Rose Academy every morning on his way to work, and picked them up every evening on his way back.

School went as usual, but when Eren arrived at home at 5 p.m., his father was in the kitchen, on the house phone with someone. He didn't know who. His dad had been cursing, almost yelling, and saying 'I dare you to try it' and 'It was an accident. Accidents happen.'

When Eren had entered the kitchen, his dad stopped talking immediately and hung up the phone without saying goodbye to whoever was on the line.

When Eren had asked who it was, and what was wrong, Grisha only said it was work and not to worry about it.

As Levi had suspected, the house he was sitting in belonged to a doctor; a surgeon to be specific. Eren said that he argued with his father. Saying stuff that involved him declaring he wasn't a child and he knew he was lying to him; that kind of argument between parent and child. Grisha only grabbed his keys and said he was going to the hospital to handle some business, and he would bring dinner home later.

It wasn't until 8 pm that Grisha came home. Eren said he looked more frazzled than he was when he had been on the phone, and he smelled like grass. Not the scent of a hospital. Grisha indeed had no food with him, but said he would order take-out. It was 9 p.m. when the doorbell rang, signaling a delivery. It was actually three men, clad in black clothing and black masks.

Eren hadn't seen the beginning commotion, but when he heard yelling and some unfamiliar voices, he ran downstairs to see two men holding Grisha down while the tallest one kicked him in the stomach.

Eren charged after them, picking up one of the vases on the small tables in the hallway to hit someone over the head with, but he was easily overpowered. The vase shattered from being dropped, and one of the men grabbed the other vase to mimic what Eren was about to do, and cocking him on the side of the head. Everything had gone black.

The next thing he remembered was waking up in a hallway of broken glass and speckled blood. That had been around 10:30 pm. He had immediately gotten up to call the police, his friends, and went outside to wait.

It was a few moments before Levi said anything. He absorbed all the information, and asked the age-old question. "Is there anyone out there who might want to hurt your father?"

Obviously the answer was yes since it had already happened. The point of asking that question was to watch the person's face as they decided on an answer. For a moment,

Eren's face was contorted in concentration, then it relaxed and he answered.

"I didn't think so, but now…" He broke off. Of course, now he knew that yes indeed there was someone out there that wanted to hurt Grisha, he just had no idea why. Levi lifted his wrist to look at his watch. 12:30 am. He forced himself to not sigh at the time he lost for sleep, realizing that he was about to hit the 48 hour mark for no sleep. He was about to speak again, but he heard footsteps from more than one person echo through the hallway, and somebody called his name.

"Eren!"

It was an old man, not horribly old, but old nonetheless. He had on a strange, straw bowl hat, and behind him came trotting Arming and Mikasa. Erwin followed slowly in tow.

"Grandpa" Eren shouted back. He stood up and zipped across the living room to embrace the man. 'This must be Armin's grandfather.' Levi deduced. Mikasa and Armin joined in the embracing, and Erwin let the group be for a moment as he went over to the couch and stood in front of Levi.

"What are you thinking?" He asked as Levi continued to watch the scene before him.

"That I'm tired as shit. Let's snoop already so we can leave." He answered.

Erwin nodded in agreement and announced that they were going to check Grisha's office for any evidence; anything that might help them find him. Mr. Arlert had asked them several times if they wanted any coffee, and every time Erwin kindly declined.

They spent a good hour in the office, checking bookshelves, drawers, and coat pockets. The only thing they couldn't check was his laptop because it required a password, and it was more than likely that Eren did not know it either.

Levi observed the photos in Grisha's office. There was one on his desk of him, Eren as a child, and a woman with long hair and bright eyes he assumed was Eren's mother. They were at some kind of gathering. The photo was taken in front of some building that had a wisp logo on the front; or the wisp was a part of something bigger that Levi couldn't see. The boy in the picture was identical to the one downstairs, only the effects of puberty and the sun had grown on him. Those eyes looked different too. They were full of life. Much unlike right now. Levi assumed that was what Eren looked like when he didn't look so defeated and angry.

He had to admit, he was kind of cute. Levi, not having any sexual preference, could acknowledge that. He could also acknowledge that he had caught those green eyes, temporarily not filled with life, watching him as he moved about the house. Levi assumed that he was making sure he didn't steal anything, or put everything back in its place. But whatever, it didn't matter.

It was 1:30 a.m. when Levi and Erwin prepared to take their leave. Erwin did the honorifics and bid them goodnight, reminding them that they would be in touch for the duration of this case. But Levi never talked after he observed and gathered information. There was never anything for him to say. If anything, he was a realist. Erwin was too, but he felt the need to sugarcoat his realist ideas to victims or anyone else. Levi never sugarcoated anything but his coffee, and even then he only used a little. That kind of stuff was saved for the tall, blond charmer. People felt friendlier towards Erwin than himself, probably because Erwin offered them false senses of hope every time-something that Levi could never do.

Mr. Arlert was saying that he would gladly take Eren in, and Mikasa was going to ask her uncle if she could spend the night with them, because apparently that's what friends do.

Levi left the house without saying anything to the group or to Erwin. He was more focused on where to start for the case. There wasn't anything to trace so far, but he knew the best place to start was Grisha's job: Rose Hospital.

On the drive home, Levi spotted less cars and drunken people. Probably because most of them had already headed home to sleep off impending hangovers and sleep with whomever they picked up for the night.

It wasn't as if he wouldn't want to live carefree like that, but he had never been able to. Not as a child, and he didn't want to start now. 'Guard-up' Levi was the only Levi he knew how to be. Erwin, his friend since late teenage years, had always suggested that he try being different; maybe a warmer Levi. He expressed that he didn't change for anybody, and Erwin left it at that.

If someone had have told him then that he would grow up to be a detective, someone on the side of the law, he would have flicked him or her off. Because everyone says what they will and won't do, but when the pressure comes, it surprising how many people switch out. Even him.

He hadn't become a detective to fight for justice or any of those cliché staples people say, but he did it because there was no other option.

It was an option presented to him at an inconvenient time, in a vulnerable state. At that moment, he would have done anything to get away from the life he had been living, even if it meant switching out. Some days he wished he had said no; that he would have stayed where he was. But staying where he was meant death, and as difficult living was, Levi chose life instead.

When he finally reached his complex, he trudged into his ivory apartment, on the verge of falling on the ground and sleeping in the hallway. But instead, he stripped himself in his bathroom and took a hot shower to ease his muscles.

Before he went to sleep, he made sure everything was in its place. People called him a neat freak, and he always responded that he wasn't a neat freak, they were just dirty pigs. It was a blithe retort, so instead of getting offended, they shrugged it off with little malice.

When he finally hit the bed, he hoped that his horrible sleeping pattern wouldn't come into play. He drifted off to sleep slowly, despite his exhaustion. The feeling of the comforter on his bare chest and through his clothed legs was a relief to the week. Much better than going out and getting shitfaced.

It didn't take long for sleep to finally find him, and throughout all the random images that ran behind his head before he finally slept, forlorn green eyes was the last one he saw before he drifted.


	2. Chapter 2

This wasn't the first time Eren had spent the night at Armin's. Matter of fact, it was one of the many countless nights Eren and Armin would share his jack-sized bed. Armin's room was organized; a place for everything and everything in its place. Since childhood, the two would sit on the floor and talk about comic books, and Armin would listen to all of Eren's ranting and beyond.

Tonight was different. It was 4 a.m. and Eren had no intentions of sleeping; the side of his head still throbbing, but had been properly bandaged.

Armin, Mikasa, and grandpa all made a beeline to clean up his front hallway. When Eren tried to help, they shooed him away and told him to relax. But he couldn't relax. He wanted to busy his mind so he wouldn't have to think about the events of earlier.

Now here he was, cramped in a bed with Mikasa and Armin. Mikasa told her uncle that she was staying at Armin's for the night. He never asked why. Being the uncaring guardian he was, Mikasa could pretty much run the streets all night if she wanted to. As long as she did what was right in school, then her uncle never cared.

It wasn't hot, but it was warm. Eren was sandwiched in the middle, with Mikasa to his left and Armin to his right. Both were sound asleep, and Eren was sure that if he budged, he'd wake them both up. His throat felt sore; probably from fighting back tears. He wouldn't cry about this. Wherever his father was, he was alright. He had to be.

Eren's main concern was why? What the hell was his father into? He couldn't stomach losing both his parents before adulthood. It was times like these that Eren missed his mother so much it hurt.

Carla always had this way of comforting someone without saying a thing. Making someone laugh without telling a joke. Chastising with a single glance. Loving with her kind touches.

Eren noticed the older he got, the more he forgot about her. Her touches, kisses, and kind words were all memories from early childhood, and they were slowly slipping away each year. It wasn't as if Grisha wasn't a good father, but he always put his work above everything else. Eren didn't even remember seeing Grisha cry over Carla's death. Mikasa had reminded Eren that grown men don't like to show their emotions. What a profound thing to say at such a young age. But Mikasa had learned a lot early on from losing her parents.

He sighed quietly, glad that he was surrounded by caring people. He wondered if grandfather would make him go to school still. Knowing him, he would. Armin and his grandfather held absolute respect for academics and knowledge, and not even a missing parent should stop either of those virtues in Eren's life.

Armin too had lost both his parents, but that was later on. He was eight, and it was a bad car accident. It was too odd, how similar all three of their lives were. They found friendship in their suffering, and without it being spoken, they promised to stay by each other's side.

It wasn't until 5 a.m. that Eren started to feel some sort of tiredness. It was probably from getting knocked out and waking up to discover his father was gone, and answering questions from the feds.

Speaking of the authorities….

That detective, the short one with the bad attitude-Eren was sure he wouldn't get along with him. Before Commander Smith left, he informed Eren that Levi would be the person to consult throughout the remainder of the case. Giving him his and Levi's number, Eren looked with uncertainty into the blue eyes of the man. Erwin only smiled and with a hard pat to the back told Eren that he could call Levi any time before 10 p.m.

Levi probably didn't like him, and he didn't like Levi, that much he was sure. There were unlikable things he could point out about Levi, like his lack of emotion and distant aurora, but besides the cons, the pros were that he was good looking.

For someone so short, Eren could still tell that there was muscle underneath that sports coat he wore. The black v-neck top he had on showed enough of the top of his chest for Eren to deduce that the man was muscular. The whole time he was explaining what happened, Levi looked bored, almost as if he wasn't listening. But if Eren paused at any point, he'd lift his eyebrow in question as to why Eren stopped.

It was scary to admit, but lately he had been coming into realization about his sexuality. He had nothing against girls, but something about the male anatomy held his interest more than females. For a while he was thinking he was bisexual. He still found girls attractive, but something about guys…

If he EVER told his father he felt that way, he was sure Dr. Jeager would disown him and throw him out. Grisha made it very clear where he stood on the subject of homosexuality. Eren recalled a time where Grisha had asked him if Armin was gay. It was clear to see that his father disapproved of such, and from that point, Eren knew that he could never tell his father the truth.

Which is why he was frustrated. Unfortunately, the detective had caught Eren looking at him a few times while moving about the house. Eren tried to wear a mask of indifference; he wasn't sure how the hell that went. Levi seemed like a master of indifference, he could tell from spending an hour with the man.

_'I wonder how old he is?'_

He felt eyes on him, and turned his head to the side to see two orbs of brown staring into his soul.

"I thought you were asleep." Eren stated.

"I was. You were breathing too heavy." Mikasa responded. "What's wrong?"

He wasn't sure what to say, and he didn't want to say that he was affected by his father's absence. Hopefully he could get her to leave him alone if he was inappropriate.

"Do you like boys, Mikasa?" He asked with a straight face.

"Yes." She answered with no hesitation. "Do you?"

Eren was taken aback by her question.

"Do I seem like I do?" He answered her question with his question.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking."

He hated how level-headed she was. How could she keep so calm in such an awkward situation?

"What if I did?" He asked smartly.

She seemed to ponder this for a moment, and finally answered him.

"It doesn't matter to me what you like. As long as they treat you well."

She reached out a cold hand to caress Eren's cheek, and he nuzzled against it. Sometimes her motherly superiority aggravated him, but she would always be like a sister.

"You're not having sex, are you?" She asked.

Yep. An extremely nosy sister.

"Mikasa, no!" He said above a harsh whisper, not wanting to wake Armin. "Why would you ask me that!?"

She shrugged her shoulders underneath the covers and withdrew her hand. "I see the way you look at Jean."

Eren's stomach did a few flips. For the hundredth time in the last twenty four hours, he was sure he was going to be sick.

"He's…" He paused "He's cute, okay."

Mikasa started to say something, but Eren beat her to it.

"But he's a total douche bag! Plus, I see the way he looks at Marco. And have you forgotten, my dad would never allow that."

A few mumbles and rustles from the other side of the bed alerted A and B that a C was now a part of the conversation.

"Mmm." Armin mumbled "Who's a douche bag?"

888

He hated hospitals.

There were several reasons why, and if anyone asked him to elaborate, he would refuse.

Sure, they served a good purpose, but circumstances in his life caused abhorrence for hospitals. Levi was here for one reason and one reason only.

He needed to talk with the people that Grisha Jaeger worked with.

He had woken up at 6 am on a Saturday; that alone was enough to put him in a foul mood, but there was work to be done.

He needed to go to Trost Hospital and speak with co-workers and partners of Dr. Jaeger.

It didn't help that he had spent the few hours of sleep he got last night tossing and turning, but that wasn't an abnormality. Levi had learned how to cope with his insomnia for years now.

He straightened his overcoat and smoothed down his white shirt as he made his way inside the large building. It was't a religious-based place, but there was a stone cross on the wall above the first floor secretary desk.

Levi made his way to the nearest elevator, and pressed the button for floor fifteen.

The waiting room for the family members and friends of surgery patients was nearly empty save for a few people. Levi walked straight inside, avoiding questioning gazes, and went straight to the desk.

"Good morning. May I help you, sir?"

Levi was met with downward slanted blue eyes and a blank expression. Nametag: Nanaba.

"I'm Detective Levi with the Stohess police department" he pulled out his badge for conformation, "And I'm here to question fellow employees of Doctor Grisha Jaeger. I'd like to start with any personal assistant he has and work my way from there."

Nanaba looked in utter confusion at Levi for a while before saying anything, as if he hadn't just stated what he needed perfectly fucking clear. Erwin always told him he needed to have better patience with people, and he always replied with something consisting of a 'fuck you' and 'that's not my job.'

"Is Dr. Jaeger alright?" Nanaba asked quietly, trying not to gain the attention of visitors. Levi mentally sighed and went in for the kill.

"Last night Dr. Jaeger was kidnapped by three men, and we're trying to figure out who and why. It would be best to talk to employees that see Jaeger often if anything seemed suspicious with his behavior. If you have noticed anything, it would be wise to tell me. It could help us eventually find him."

He stated so as bluntly as possible, not caring for the semi-horrified expression on the woman's face.

"Follow me." She stated while standing up to move from behind the desk. Levi did as asked and followed the woman out of the waiting room to the surgical unit.

"Dr. Jaeger is the CEO of the surgical unit here at Trost hospital." Nanaba said, walking briskly. "He prides himself in his work, and would never do anything harmful to anyone."

If Levi had a dollar for every time he's heard 'he/she would never…', he was sure he'd have enough money to finally buy the black Lamborghini he's always secretly wanted.

"You haven't noticed anything off-putting about his behavior, ma'am?" Levi asked, still following with quiet footsteps.

"Not at all." Nanaba answered immediately, her voice slightly inflecting.

When they reached the break room of the surgical unit, Levi saw that it was currently unoccupied. It was your standard employees lounge.

"You may wait here, detective Levi." Nanaba broke him out of his observations of the room. "I'll go get the others as soon as possible."

He was going to question just who might these 'others' be, but he decided to wait. Once Nanaba exited the room, he calmly walked around the oval table, continuing observations. It was a normal staff room; a place where doctors and surgeons pondered over the lives of people they didn't know.

He finally took a seat, and mentally reviewed what he had so far. Nanaba, the desk worker for the Trost hospital surgical unit, hadn't noticed anything strange about Jaeger, or so she claimed. Eren Jaeger, however, said that Grisha claimed he was going to the hospital yesterday to 'take care of something' but instead he came home smelling like grass.

Just where was Grisha Jaeger yesterday?

A small line of employees streamed into the deadly quiet room, and Levi stood up to acknowledge them. Two men and one woman, along with the company of Nanaba. All of them looked at Levi expectantly; expecting what, he didn't know.

"You may have a seat." Levi began. "I won't hold you long."

And so it commenced. Levi was sure that he could gain something, anything, an inkling of a clue out of these people. And he received none. It turns out that Jaeger's co-workers know as much about him as anyone would. He's the CEO, surgeon, single father. That was it. They couldn't tell him of any hobbies or friends that he had. For all Levi could discern, Grisha was a workaholic with no life.

The first to speak was the second man that walked in. Dita Ness. Thirty-year-old surgeon's assistant to Grisha. Dita had only been working at Trost for two years, and one might think that would be long enough to get to know someone, yet Dita didn't know much at all. The only thing personal he could add was that Grisha would always render a small smile of victory at the end of every successful surgery, or when he spoke of his son.

The first man that walked in was the second to speak. Eld Jinn. Thirty three-year-old surgeon's assistant to another surgeon by the name of Hange Zoe, who was not at work today. Dr. Zoe was head of the neurology branch at Trost hospital. She worked right alongside Grisha sometimes; if there was anyone that Levi needed to talk to, it was her. Eld knew nothing either, and only seconded what Dita Ness said earlier.

The last to speak was the last to walk in. Twenty eight-year-old Ilse Langar. She had only recently started working at Trost hospital two months ago, and studied under the tutelage of Grisha Jaeger. She was more dismal with her speech, as if the kidnapping of Grisha hit her personally. Levi took note of this and sent it to the back of his mind. Ilse knew nothing either, and only agreed with what the men said earlier.

And of course, no one fucking saw him yesterday.

Levi dismissed himself, with only a 'thank you for your time' as he left. He wasn't going to give them with words of comfort and promise. There was no telling where Grisha was, or what condition he was in. If the three unknown kidnappers were willing to knock out a boy, then there was also no telling what would happen to Grisha; the blood in the front hallway of their home confirmed that.

When he reached the outdoors, he was glad that the smell of sterility was no longer burning his nose, and he walked purposely to his car. He needed to report his information, or lack there-of, to Erwin, and knowing the blonde bastard, he'd be at headquarters on a Saturday morning.

When he got there amidst the annoying morning traffic of the city, he wasn't surprised to see his co-worker, Petra Ral, there either.

"Good morning, Levi." she said calmly with happiness laced in her voice. Levi wasn't an idiot; he knew what Petra thought of him. Whether they would go from there was answered with a 'no' on his part. She hadn't tried to approach him on that subject yet, but he felt it was coming. At last year's Christmas party at HQ, she drank a little too much and confidently confessed how handsome she thought Levi was in front of everyone. Everyone let out a simultaneous chorus of 'ooooohs' and Erwin just laughed behind his glass of whiskey. It was exact reasons like that that Levi hated work parties. Yet, he always found himself at one.

"What's good about it?" He asked flatly as he passed her in pursuit of Erwin's office. He'd have to take the elevator to the top floor, something he got tired of doing every time he needed to see him.

"Well, you're alive and well." Petra answered. Her optimism was oddly comforting somehow. It was a reason he put her on his team. It was annoying sometimes, but he wouldn't expect anything else from her. Yes, he was indeed living and in good health, but alive…he wasn't so sure anymore.

"I suppose that's good enough." He answered while boarding the elevator. As he turned around, he saw her standing a few feet away with an impish grin on her face, as if she was waiting for something; daintily in her work pants and white button up shirt with kitten heels.

"Good morning, Petra" Levi said with a slight tug at the corner of his lips right before the elevator doors closed. He heard a muffled laugh through the doors, and silently thanked her for her positive attitude.

The short ride to Erwin's was accompanied with silence and the soft ding of Levi's arrival to the third floor. When the doors opened, Levi walked down the dimly lit hallway to his boss' and best friend's office. The door was ajar, and Levi could make out the sound of Erwin talking to someone.

"No, this isn't anything to play with" Erwin bit into the receiver. Levi noted how aggravated the man sounded, and thought of ways to aggravate him even more. Then he heard it.

"You know where they took Jaeger, the only issue is finding him. If there's anyone that's going to know, it's him."

Levi paused outside Erwin's door, head cocking to the side in curiosity.

"Yes." Erwin answered with slight relief in his voice. "Yes." He said again. "That's fine. Just be careful."

A hard click signaled the end of Erwin's conversation, and Levi debated how long he should wait before walking in his office. What the hell did Erwin know about Jaeger that he wasn't telling? He inhaled quietly and budged in Erwin's office with a single swing of the door.

"Good morning, Levi." Erwin greeted in his normal nonchalant tone, shuffling through papers. Levi sat in the chair in front of Erwin's desk and raised his feet to rest on the man's workspace, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What's good about it?" Levi asked just as nonchalant. Erwin raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow and contemplated for a moment.

"Well, let's see. We could be dead" Erwin said with humor in his voice, only Levi wasn't finding anything funny. He decided to take the conversation in a different route.

"I went to the hospital this morning to talk with some co-workers of Jaeger. None of them knew anything that would prove substantial to our investigation. There is a woman by the name of Doctor Hanji Zoe that I need to speak with. She was the one that spent the most time around Grisha seeing that she was the head of the neurology surgical department, and Jaeger is the CEO."

Levi took perfect note of how Erwin stopped fidgeting with his papers for just a second as Levi said the name 'Doctor Hange Zoe', but he resumed just a moment afterwards and played everything off. Typical Erwin.

"Well, I suppose you should find out when she'll be available and question her as well. Someone has to know something, or we're on a dead trail."

Levi wanted, for the hundredth time since he met him, to punch Erwin square in his nose. Considering the conversation Levi just overheard, or eavesdropped on, whatever you wanted to call it, Erwin was that 'someone' that 'has to know something.' He wanted to call him out on him keeping secrets, because the two of them never kept secrets. Granted, everything Erwin did he didn't tell Levi, and vice versa, but when it came down to business, there was nothing left in the dark.

So, why would Erwin purposely avoid telling Levi any information he knew about Grisha Jaeger, especially since he was personally assigned the case?

He decided to trust Erwin Smith, as he had learned to. He was always one step ahead; always up to something. But he proved himself to be trustworthy, so Levi could only hope that letting this go was a wise decision.

"I'll get right on that." Levi said finally and abruptly stood from the chair to make an exit. Erwin only muttered something that sounding like 'you do that' as he left.

"Good morning, Erwin." Levi called out as he left the office, with a smirking commander behind.

As he took the elevator ride back down, he supposed he should contact the Jaeger kid. He didn't know why he started calling him that; the name just seemed to fit. He didn't have any particular reason to; it wasn't as if he learned anything new, and moral support wasn't his specialty, so why call?

As he left, he nodded in acknowledgement to a flirtatious Auruo unsuccessfully 'wooing' Petra, as he tried to every morning he came in. Petra would be better off giving him a chance instead of chasing something that she would never catch. Gunther was a few feet away at his desk, shaking his head at his co-worker's antics. As he exited the sliding doors, he heard an audible 'ow' from Auruo, and laughs from Gunther as Petra said she'd get ice for his tongue. Levi smiled a small one at that.

He wasn't sure what enticed him to do it, but he decided that he wasn't going back to the hospital straight away. Levi hit the interstate in attempts to reach the pair of green orbs that he thought of before he went to sleep the night before.


	3. Chapter 3

"Holy shit, Eren, block me one more time and I'll kill you!"

"You can't kill anyone on Mario Kart, Jean." Sasha stated, being careful not to take her eyes off the screen in fear that Connie would block her as well.

"He's just mad he sucks." Reiner added on from a corner, patiently waiting for their race to be over.

"Who the fuck picked the Special Cup?" Jean yelled. He was in sixth place, thanks to Eren continuously screwing with him. He was hoping they would do the Banana Cup-he always did well on that one. But no, they had to do the Special Cup, which consisted of the dreaded Rainbow Road. No matter what console, Rainbow Road sucked.

"I did." Connie answered from his spot on the floor in front of the TV.

"That's why you're in eighth place, Connie." Eren laughed from his spot on the couch, next to a fuming Jean.

It was Saturday, and his entire group of friends pretty much knew what happened because Armin told them all. He didn't do it to be rude, but he felt that Eren needed a large support system. Therefore, everyone was at Armin's house playing Mario Kart with several snacks littering the living room, and throwing several curses to the air. Thankfully, grandfather Arlert was upstairs taking a nap, so he couldn't hear their foul language.

Of course, Eren was assaulted with question after question. It's not every day that one of your best friends gets taken out by kidnappers, nor do their father gets kidnapped. After Connie went too far by asking if Eren thought Grisha was alive or not, Armin nervously interrupted and insisted they start playing games. This incidentally led to hostility between Eren and Jean, which was nothing new.

Although that ball of worry was still in the pit of his stomach, Eren forced himself to at least try to enjoy company. He hadn't really wanted any company, but the more time he spent around his friends, the gladder he became. They had all been friends for years, and hopefully that would never change no matter what direction their lives went in.

Eren still wasn't sure what he wanted to do as a career. He always thought about the educational system, but never knew what grade or subject he'd like to teach. Grisha stated the importance of the medical field over and over again, but following in his father's footsteps was not something Eren wanted. He'd seen how demanding being a doctor could be, especially a surgeon, and he didn't want that for his life.

Speaking of life, Eren was about to lose his because he made Jean fall back to 10th place by the end of the race. Eren didn't even care about winning, he just liked getting Jean worked up.

"God damnit, Eren!" Jean stated. Everyone else laughed while Mikasa and Marco only shook their heads.

"What are you gonna' do about it, Sea biscuit?" Eren taunted. Said Sea biscuit pounced on Eren on the couch, and began shoving him around a bit. Everyone continued to laugh,  
Connie being the loudest; not caring that he came in last place. Sasha was elated, because she had somehow pulled first place on Rainbow Road, _and_ she was graced with a hilarious fight scene from Jean and Eren. Reiner pulled Jean off Eren, nothing new for him, and moved them both off the couch so he, Bert, Annie, and Ymir could play. Annie sat on Bert's lap so that everyone else could have space.

Jean continued to toss insults across the room from his spot by Marco. Marco, used to Jean's aggressive behavior, put an arm around him and told him to calm down. This wasn't an action unnoticed by Eren, who felt his cheeks burn hotter with mild jealously instead of anger.

He went into the kitchen to grab his bottle of water, and forced those thoughts out of his head. He had always had a thing for Jean, despite the guy's attitude, but everyone knew Jean had a thing for Marco. That still didn't dissuade Eren from riling him up any opportunity he could get. The only time Jean really engaged in conversation with Eren was when they were arguing. He would take what he could.

He heard the doorbell ring, and knew that nobody else was going to answer it because they couldn't hear it from all the nonsense going on the living room. Eren put his water down and walked to the front door. When he looked through the eyehole, he was surprised by the visitor, and unconsciously ran his fingers through his hair in order to fix anything off about it from his fight with Jean.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Detective Levi." Eren stated calmly, hoping that the stoic man had some good news.

"Jaeger," Levi responded curtly. "I visited your father's job today."

"Does anyone know anything? What did you find out?" Eren immediately prodded, his eyes widening in anticipation. Levi gestured they step inside so they could talk, until he heard it.

"Fuck, Ymir!"

"You mad, Braun?"

"I almost had first place!"

Levi cocked his eyebrow and looked at Eren, whose face was reddening with embarrassment.

"Friends and Mario Kart rarely mix." Levi stated, and gestured Eren follow him outside. Eren looked back, wondering if he should run and tell Armin where he was, but he changed his mind. He didn't need to tell them every single thing he did.

Closing the door behind him, Eren stepped out into the warm afternoon sun, wondering why he hadn't bothered to go outside on such a nice day.

"How do you know that?" Eren asked, looking at Levi's back. He hoped that didn't sound like he didn't believe the man had friends. Levi turned around and looked at him, and for some reason, Eren's heart sped up. The man was striking, more than the last time. Maybe because Eren had been too upset to notice just how good Levi looked.

"I just do." Levi answered. "Now about your father, no one at the hospital that even gets remotely close to Dr. Jeager has any idea where he is. You said he informed you that he was going to the hospital yesterday, but came back smelling of grass. No one saw him at the hospital either."

Levi ended his speech, and studied the boy in front of him. There were bags under his eyes, most likely from not sleeping. His hair was tousled, and he was biting his lip in frustration. Eren raised his eyes to look at Levi's, and once again, Levi was impressed by how steady his gaze held his, considering not many people made eye contact with him at all.

"What do we do?" Eren asked.

Levi quickly thought back to the conversation he overheard Erwin having, and he made it seem like Grisha wasn't dead. He wasn't going to tell Eren that though, because he didn't want to get the boy's hopes up when there was no telling what could happen in the next twenty four hours.

"Are you familiar with a Doctor Hanji Zoe?" Levi asked, ignoring Eren's previous question.

Eren shook his head indicating that he did not, and Levi mentally sighed.

"Who is she?"

"She works closely with your father. She wasn't at work when I went to the hospital."

"This is ridiculous!" Eren suddenly bit out. "Someone has to know something!"

Levi's caught just how much Eren sounded like Erwin, and stepped a little bit closer. "I'm working on it, Jeager. This is going to take time."

"We don't have time!" Eren yelled, distress settling in, not startling Levi one bit. "There's no telling where he is, or what's happening to him, or why…"

"Exactly why I said this is going to take time." Levi interrupted. "What have I told you about raising your voice?"

"Who gives a shit?" Eren asked, stepping even closer, closing the gap. "I have a right to raise my voice. Especially at power tripping detectives who don't give a shit about anybody else's problems!"

Before he could register it, Levi grabbed Eren's shirt collar and brought him even closer. It was then that Eren really noticed the height difference between the two. Levi, despite being the shorter, was more intimidating, especially when he had Eren's shirt in a death grip.

"Listen up. You should really try not to insult the people that are trying to help you. I can always pass this case up for another one, and then you'd have no one to help you. The real world doesn't give a shit about your problems, so get used to them being ignored. I'm one of the few that are actually trying, so calm down before I make you."

Levi let go of Eren's shirt as fast as he had gripped it, causing Eren to lose his footing and stumble back a bit. Levi's

eyes were just as cool as his tone was, and once again, Eren deduced that he did not like this man. He stood straight, not caring about straightening out his shirt, but Levi was already walking away to his car.

"Hey!" Eren shouted. "I'm not done."

"I am." Levi tossed over his shoulder, rounding the front of his car.

Eren watched as he peeled away, and wondered why he had to be so impulsive. He spoke before he thought, and that normally got him into trouble.

_'I'm one of the few people that are actually trying…'_

Eren wasn't sure how many people were involved for finding his father, but he guessed it wasn't many, considering what Levi said. He sighed and went back inside, only to be greeted by a frantic Armin in the hallway.

"Eren, where did you go? I was looking all over for you."

"Detective Levi stopped by." he answered absentmindedly.

"Oh!" Armin perked up. "Are there any leads?"

Eren relayed what happened, not including the small spat the two got in, and next thing he knew, Armin was hugging him.

"I'm sorry, Eren."

Eren knew he was referring to the fact that there were indeed no leads, and Grisha really was kidnapped without a trace. Eren willed himself to remain strong; he would cry later.

Heading back into the living room, he saw Marco, Mikasa, and Christa ready to play, waiting on Armin.

"I found him," Armin answered. Nobody asked where he had gone because of the dismal look on his face. Mikasa's eyes stayed trained on his face as he sat down by himself until  
the starting whistle for the race sounded.

888

He hadn't meant to snap, but he did.

He was a firm believer in not letting anyone control his emotions.

But that damn Jaeger kid...

Working with him was proving to be an issue; that much was clear. Levi tried to take into account that Eren hadn't gotten any sleep, but the irritated part of him didn't care. This is exactly why he hated when Erwin would give him cases that involved interacting with people. Questioning to an extent, investigating, fighting-he was proficient in those things. Social skills and sympathy, not so much.

He was finding himself on the rout back to the hospital, much to his dismay. He needed to talk to that assistant of Dr. Zoe again and ask him for her contact options.

Levi played out the scenarios; something he always did. If Dr. Zoe had no idea what happened to Dr. Jaeger, then who did?

That left Erwin, whom he would be talking to later. Forget the possible breach of trust of listening in on his superior's conversation; he needed answers. It's not as if Levi had a personal reason to find Dr. Jaeger, but he wouldn't lie; this was the most intriguing case he's had in a while.

Most of his cases centered around murders, so there was no saving that had to be done. That worked out perfectly for him; saving wasn't his forte. Missing persons cases, however, were races against time. It was a challenge for everyone, trying to work against the clock. TV liked to sanitize it, but the majority of those cases end up taking months, years maybe, and end with a dead body.

Levi thought about what would happen to Eren if his father was indeed dead. The Arlert's would most likely take him in, but emotionally…the kid would be a wreck. He could tell from just spending a small amount of time with the boy that he was hot headed, and _might_ have a tempter problem.

Levi scowled; there was a time he used to be like that.

When he arrived at the hospital again, he found the same parking space he had earlier, and went inside, taking the same rout he did the last time. Reaching the surgical waiting room, Levi saw the desk worker, Nanaba, at her post of duty. Her eyes shifted and lit up when she saw him walking towards her. Levi hoped she didn't think he had good news.

"Any news?" She asked, hopefully.

_Shit._

"No ma'am. I need to speak with Eld Jinn," Levi documented the name "about Dr. Zoe. If she works closely with Dr. Jaeger, then perhaps she noticed something off in his behavior."

Nanaba nodded her head quickly, as if she totally understood what Levi was saying. She told Levi to wait in the room while she went to find Eld.

Levi watched her leave, and took in his surroundings.

There was currently no one else in the room, so Levi peered over Nanaba's desk, just for safe measure, and observed. All he saw were notes and dates and appointments and other medical booking stuff he didn't understand. Nothing useful to his cause.

_'Especially at power tripping detectives who don't give a shit about anybody else's problems!'_

Levi sighed out loud, feeling a head ache come on. He hadn't slept well last night either. He wasn't sure if it was because he was suddenly thrust into a new case, the severity of the new case, or whatever kind of crap kept people up at night. He hoped Dr. Zoe knew something; he wanted to get this over with.

Just as soon as it was thought, Eld walked in, belongings in hand, behind Nanaba. Levi assumed the man was getting ready to leave work.

"Detective Levi." The man spoke up, offering a hand. Levi didn't accept it, and nodded in recognition. Eld gulped, lowering his hand, and spoke again.

"I'm not permitted to give out personal information of Dr. Zoe, like her address, but I can give you her email." Eld offered.

"How often does she use her email?" Levi asked flatly. He could always request a demand document for Dr. Zoe's personal information, but he'd rather not do that.

"I-I'm not sure." Eld stuttered. "But this is it."

He handed him a ripped off piece of paper, and Levi examined it carefully. It was a standard worker's email, and he assumed Dr. Zoe would check it often if it related to work. Then again, he didn't know the woman at all.

"Do you know when Dr. Zoe will be at work again?" Levi asked curtly, slipping the paper in his pocket.

"I don't know, sir. Sometimes she does that. She'll show up at work for a while, and then take several days off. She may be a doctor, but her main field is research, and that causes her to miss days of work. Either way, she worked with Dr. Jeager the most."

Levi nodded his head, absorbing what he was told, and bid farewell to Nanaba and Eld as he left. That was a start. He didn't know many workplaces that would let their workers take indefinite amount of days off. Once again, he did not know the woman. He didn't ask what research she was into, but he would do some research of his own once he made it home. There was sure to be some information on the internet about Dr. Zoe, and even Dr. Jaeger, that might help his cause.

He hoped so, because Eren reminded him, time was not on his side.

888

"Thank you, Grandpa Arlert!" A crowd of voices simultaneously said. Grandpa only smiled and said he'd leave the energetic and hungry teens alone to eat.

He ordered pizza; an abundant amount too. They were all crowded in the Arlert's dining room. It wasn't anything special, like Eren's house. The long table did provide enough space for everyone to eat, however, and that was more than enough. The table was littered in pizza boxes, each missing a slice or three. Eren laughed at Armin's dreaded expression as Sasha grabbed slice after slice from different boxes.

"Damn, Sasha." Ymir interrupted, pizza in her mouth. Krista only laughed while she sat in her girlfriend's lap, taking mouse bites of her own food.

"What?" Sasha asked. "I can eat, okay."

"We know." Connie added, annoyance in his voice. Everyone else laughed, knowing that the two were on the verge of a get together soon. They had been crushing on each other for a long time anyway, and they spent a lot of time together outside their regular group of friends. Mikasa continued to bring in cup after cup of soda for everyone, and more insults were passed around.

Eren felt a small smile creep on his face. It felt good to be surrounded by the people he cared about. He appreciated his friends more than he could ever express, but he would try anyway.

"Hey guys!" Eren interrupted, loud enough so everyone could hear. Once it was quiet, he cleared his throat and spoke up.

"I just want to say thank you. I really mean it. This whole ordeal...well…it doesn't make any sense. I don't know where my dad is or what happened to him," he paused for a moment while his throat tightened. "But this makes sense. Being with you guys makes sense."

Eren was sure that his speech, in fact, did not make sense, and he lowered his eyes to his plate awkwardly waiting for someone to say something. He missed everyone's eyes meeting each other's across the dining room, and Eren jolted at the sudden chorus of 'aww!' in the room.

"We're always here for you, Eren." Marco said, looking at him with a kind expression. His tender words made Eren want to cry, and he was sure if he did, Reiner would make fun of him for it. Then he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

"You're here for all of us, Jeager." Reiner stated. "Of course it makes sense that we're here for you."

Eren smiled, remembering how encouraging Reiner could be sometimes, despite his athleticism and build, he was a big softie. Mikasa walked over and finally took her seat next to Eren after serving everyone else, and gave his leg a reassuring squeeze underneath the table. Eren looked over to her and saw her face with a rare smile, small as it may be. He placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed back.

The rowdy behavior resumed, and he wouldn't want it any other way. Somehow, a piece of pizza crust ended up flying across the room and hitting Sasha in her eye.

"Ymir!" Sasha yelled, rubbing her injury.

"That wasn't me." Ymir answered, throwing her hands up in innocence. Everyone looked their way when they saw a giggling Krista in Ymir's lap, with a broken off piece of crust.

"Krista!" everyone yelled in disbelief.

Yep, Eren wished these moments could last forever.

888

"What do you want?" Levi answered his phone with annoyance dripping loosely in his voice. Erwin's hearty chuckle on the other end only upset him further. He was getting ready to let a line of curses fly when Erwin spoke.

_"Meet me for lunch today."_ He said in a kind tone, but one Levi recognized as an order. _"We have some matters to discuss."_

"I'm quite sure." Levi responded, sarcasm evident. He was curious as to what Erwin wanted.

_"Trost golf club. 12 sharp."_ And with that, Erwin hung up. Levi fought the urge to slam his phone back down on the kitchen table his face had previously been occupying. Then he looked to the wall and saw the time.

9:30 a.m.

Levi sighed and placed his head in his hands for a moment to give himself time to wake up and think.

When he got home yesterday, he spent the rest of his evening and night at his kitchen table, accidentally falling asleep there as well, researching. He found articles about Dr. Jaeger, Dr. Zoe, and some _by_ Dr. Zoe. He did dig up some information that he had not known, but only time would tell if it was meaningful to this case or not.

Dr. Jaeger was born in Hannover, Germany, which explains the last name. He moved to America only a short while after getting his doctoring license from Hannover Medical School. He finished top of his class, and did so with honors. Reasons for his leaving the country were unknown, so Levi continued with the basics. He married Carla a few years after his arrival to America, and she was significantly younger than he was. He continued his career at Trost Hospital and easily earned CEO of the surgical unit. There wasn't much else than that, but Levi did look up the important surgeries Dr. Jaeger performed in the past.

Dr. Zoe, however, was widely known for research. Statistics, diagrams, and all that jazz was her specialty. She earned her place next to Dr. Jaeger only one year upon her arrival at  
Trost Hospital, which was a big deal. Dr. Zoe is only a few years younger than Dr. Jaeger, and together the two of them have made significant improvements in the surgical unit as well as other units.

Levi dived deeper into Dr. Zoe's research, and found that the anatomy of the human body as well as animals was her favorite field of focus. The woman wrote her dissertation on the importance of fully understanding the make-up of man as well as animals, and possibly being able to merge the two one day.

All of these things Levi replayed in his mind as he thoroughly showered. He brought the wash cloth over this chest absentmindedly and continued to think. He hadn't emailed Dr. Zoe yet; he fell asleep before he got the chance. He did find it odd that a renowned researcher would work alongside a doctor. Maybe he really didn't know as much about the medical field or their occupations as he thought he had, but still.

Deciding to forget that for now, he focused on the problem he'd be facing in a few hours.

Erwin.

He figured it was best to just admit that he heard the conversation, and not apologize for it either. If Erwin was withholding information from him, which he was, then Levi didn't feel the need to apologize. He was assigned this case, and he needed to know everything there was to know.

He wasn't even going to sugar coat it. He'd walk in, sit down, and ask Erwin directly about the conversation. He swore if Erwin tried to do that annoying thing where he successfully dodges a question by not answering it, Levi was going to lose his job.

Once he was finally out of the shower, he went to his room and found a pair of sweatpants to wear for the time being.

Deciding that an attempt to keep his job would be nice, he made himself a cup of coffee, because he'd really need it. He made sure there was a small amount of sugar, and definitely no creamer. He didn't even buy creamer, actually. Coffee wasn't made to be sweet, in his opinion.

Since he had time to kill, cleaning was now on his agenda. He started with the kitchen, making sure everything was where it should be, and washing any dishes. He vacuumed the living room, making sure he did so in straight lines. The bathroom, which he cleaned every other day, never needed much maintenance, but he liked cleaning; it was soothing. He even decided to dust and vacuum the extra room, not that it served any purpose but existing.

He went back to the kitchen table to email Dr. Zoe. He used his work email, because that was the only one he had, and made his message concise.

_To Dr. Hanji Zoe,_

_I am Detective Levi, and I work for the Stohess police department. I am contacting you in reference to the kidnapping of your work partner, Dr. Grisha Jaeger. Dr. Jaeger was_

_suddenly taken from his home Friday night by three unknown men. It has been brought to my attention that you were close with Dr. Jaeger, and perhaps you might know_

_something to help his cause. Time is of the essence._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Levi._

Levi squinted at his computer screen to ensure there weren't any typos. He was sure it wasn't professional to put the 'Sincerely', and she would probably wonder why he only put 'Levi' and not his last name. If she did wonder about that latter, she would continue to do so. Either way, the message was sent. He wouldn't wait around for her to reply either. His phone vibrated with a call again, and he saw that it was Petra Ral.

"What?" He answered.

_"Levi,"_ She said, hesitation in her voice. _"We need you at 34th Denmer Street, immediately."_

Levi stood up quickly, walking briskly to his room to find clothes. "Petra, what happened?"

Petra took a deep breath, careful not to let her boss hear her shaking voice. _"There's been a murder, sir."_

888

_"Officials say twenty eight-year-old Ilse Langar was murdered with one clean shot to the head. Langar worked in the surgical department of the renowned Trost Hospital. She had only been there two months. So far the police have no leads as to who did it or why. We are wondering if this has any connection to the sudden kidnapping of Trost Hospital's CEO, Dr. Grisha Jaeger. Jaeger was taken from his home by three men in masks. His only son, Eren Jaeger, seventeen-year-old student, was unfortunately knocked unconscious during the ordeal. The Stohess Police Department is currently on the case, and it seems too close to be a coincidence. Officials don't even know if Grisha Jaeger is…"_

Eren turned the TV off, bile rising in his throat. He got up quickly, and ran to the nearest bathroom which was on the first floor. He rid himself of the delicious breakfast grandfather so kindly made them. He heard footsteps behind him the entire time, and felt Mikasa's hand on his back. Armin and grandpa soon followed, worry written on their faces. Armin ran one washcloth under cold water, and another under warm water. The latter was used to wipe his face, and the former was placed on his head as they lead him upstairs to Armin's room.

"You need to lie down." Grandpa said calmly.

Eren did as he was told, feeling too dizzy and upset to do anything else anyway. Mikasa and Armin sat on either side of him on the bed while grandpa went downstairs to get medicine. Mikasa rubbed Eren's arm while Armin placed a shaky hand on his shoulder. His friends were worried for him.

"He can't be dead." Eren choked out, still feeling nauseous. Mikasa placed a finger on his lips in attempts to quiet him down. Getting worked up would only upset his stomach further. Grandpa came back upstairs with a cup of medicine for Eren's stomach, a bucket, a glass of water, and the house phone tucked between his shoulder and ear.

"Yes." He stated. "Yes sir. Thank you. Alright, goodbye."

Brown, green, and blue eyes looked up at him expectantly, and grandpa cleared his throat to speak.

"That was Commander Erwin Smith." He began, setting the bucket down. "He said he and Detective Levi will be by later. He didn't really specify a reason."

Eren felt his throat began to hurt, and he knew it was because he was holding in tears. Honestly, the last person he wanted to see was Levi. He really wasn't in the mood, nor did he have the patience, for the man's attitude. Today was a bad day.

"Eren, this doesn't mean anything about Grisha's condition." Grandpa tried to reassure, handing Armin the water. "If anything, this might lead them closer to finding him..."

"Please," Eren interrupted. "Just…please." He begged, his voice weak, but the distress was clear enough.

Grandpa nodded and motioned for him to sit up to swallow the bitter medicine.

"It'll settle your stomach" he said.

Armin gave him the water soon after that, and Eren found even that hard to swallow. His throat was still tight, and his head hurt; the effort to refrain from crying was wearing on him.

"Take a nap." Grandpa said, not to be argued with. "I feel like you'll need the energy."

He looked at Armin and Mikasa, silently commanding them to let Eren rest. Mikasa stared back at him, wanting to argue. Armin recognized that look all too well. She didn't want to leave Eren's side, but grandpa wasn't having that.

"I'll be fine, Mikasa." Eren stated, voice stronger than before. He noticed the distress, and decided to speak. "I'm not going anywhere."

Mikasa looked down at him with sad brown eyes, and nodded. Armin pat Eren's leg on the way out, and soon he was left all alone, in the quiet, where no one could see him.

Eren brought an arm up to muffle his mouth as he cried. Hot tears spilled onto Armin's pillows, and sounds threatened to leave his throat. He wasn't going to start sobbing in fear that someone might hear and come back in. He silently cried, only occasionally inhaling.

Things were taking a turn for the worst. A lady that worked in the same unit as his father had been killed; _of course_ they were connected. If they could kill her, what would stop them from killing his father?

What stopped them from killing him?

Who was doing the killing?

Soon he stopped crying and let his mind race, eyes wide open. He replayed Friday night's events over and over again, and there was nothing new that could help now. He didn't see any faces. All he remembered was Grisha looking at him with pleading, angry eyes; which Eren had no idea why.

He was trying to save him, why would he look at him like that?

He begged himself not to think of this, and felt drowsiness seeping in. He decided to let sleep find him, because grandpa was right. With Commander Smith, and especially detective Levi stopping by, he would surely need the energy.

888

"Are you fucking serious?"

_"I'm hungry. I'm sure you are too. Did you eat breakfast this morning?"_

"I had coffee."

_"That's not breakfast, Levi."_

"It's enough for me."

_"Well, don't cancel our date."_

"I hate you."

_"But you're following me."_

To that, Levi didn't have an appropriate response. He hung up on Erwin and pressed down on his horn, if only to express his irritation.

Erwin honked back, two short sounds, which annoyed Levi because it sounded peppy and he hated it. He rode on Erwin's ass, hoping to annoy the man as well, but Erwin continued to drive the speed limit, obviously not in a hurry. Levi ground his teeth and backed off, and only then did Erwin speed up.

"I fucking swear…" He broke off, because he was only making threats to the wind.

It was natural he was in a bad mood. That was natural for him every day, but today he actually had an excuse. After all, dead bodies didn't exactly bring rays of sunshine.

Ilse Langar, the young lady under the tutelage of Dr. Jaeger, had been murdered. Levi replayed the scene.

Her apartment door did have signs of forced entry, but there was nothing in the apartment that indicated a fight or a struggle. Whoever shot her did it quickly, and left.

Petra volunteered to stay and look at the surveillance videos in the apartment complex elevator to see if there was anything they could use to find who did it. There was already a crew there searching for any forensic evidence.

It wasn't everyday that Levi looked at dead bodies, and this certainly wouldn't be the last. He was already accustomed to such things before he even joined law enforcement.

Erwin showed up too, but only at the tail end of it. He spoke to policemen, and the lady who lived across the hall from Langar. She said she heard a loud shot, and that was it. Any neighbor would want to ignore the antics of their other neighbors, but she said this time felt different.

The media said they weren't sure if the cases were connected. Of course they were connected. A kidnapping and a murder like these all in the same weekend; anyone could tell these cases went hand in hand.

Levi hoped that no one else at the hospital would be targeted because of this. He wasn't sure what was happening, or why. He knew that it had to be someone affiliated with the Jaeger case.

All these things he had swimming through his head, and Erwin still wanted to have lunch. Levi couldn't work up an appetite if he tried.

Specifically, he wanted to go to Trost golf club.

Excuse: _'They have really good burgers.'_

Levi followed anyway, because lunch would be a perfect time to question Erwin on his conversation yesterday. He hoped he'd choke on that really good burger in surprise as Levi asked him why he was withholding information. He quickly took that back, because Erwin couldn't answer his questions if he was dead.

He took in his surroundings-big buildings, clean streets, and not a homeless person in sight. This was definitely the Trost area.

He noticed the lush greenery on either side of the road he traveled on, and rolled down his window. The air was exactly as he hoped, clean and full of plant life. It reminded him of home. His life before things went to hell.

Realizing that now wasn't the time nor place to be thinking of such things, he noticed the rolling hills of the gold club come into view, and he parked next to Erwin once they arrived at the club house.

"These burgers better be perfect." Levi threatened and Erwin laughed heartily.

They walked up the marble steps leading to the see through doorway. A wave of cool air met them as Erwin opened the heavy wooden doors, and so did the monotone voice of a waitress.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to Trost Golf Club."

Levi was met with piercing blue eyes belonging to a blonde haired girl with a striking face. She wasn't quite beautiful, but certainly striking. He read her name tag.

_'Annie'_

"Table for two." Erwin requested. "Preferably in the back" he added on.

Annie nodded her head and led the way. Levi walked down isles of brown marble flooring that contrasted well with the wood of the building. They were indeed led to a table for two in the back by a window that overlooked the green hills of the golf course.

"What can I start you with?" Annie asked.

"Whiskey for the both of us. We've already decided that we want the special house burgers, too."

Annie nodded and left, and Levi crossed his arms over his chest, staring Erwin down from across table, who was doing something on his phone. Finally, he looked up at Levi and smiled, putting his phone in his pocket.

"The media are vultures." He stated. "They're calling left and right for information. Petra doesn't know what to tell them."

"Don't tell them anything." Levi answered, as if it was clear as day.

"That's what I told her, but she said they were still hounding."

"That's what hounds do." Levi added on, looking out the window.

"Precisely." Erwin agreed.

Annie quickly came back with small glasses of whiskey on a tray, and a bottle in the other.

"How old are you?" Erwin asked her, causing Levi to look at him like he was a pervert, but then he realized what Erwin was doing.

"Eighteen." Annie responded, not breaking his gaze as she set the items down on the table. "Old enough to serve alcohol."

Erwin chuckled lowly, impressed with her perceptiveness. "Very well then."

With that, Annie dismissed herself again, and Levi took his glass and knocked half of it back.

"Stressful day?" Erwin inquired over his glass.

"Fuck you." Levi answered, finishing the rest off and pouring himself more. Erwin laughed again, and Levi calmly flicked him off. The blond placed a hand to his chest and feigned hurt, and Levi smirked, just a little.

"Who were you talking to on the phone yesterday about Grisha Jaeger?" Levi asked quickly.

Erwin choked on his drink a little bit, and set his glass down, clearing his throat. Levi crossed one leg over the other, and leaned an arm on his chair, glass in the other hand.

He caught him off guard.

"I was wondering when you were going to bring that up." Erwin said, placing both elbows on the table and his fists under his chin, a gesture he did when he was getting serious.

Levi's smirk morphed to a frown.

"What are you…"

"My office is the only one on the third floor. I heard the elevator ping when you came up, I hear it every time, Levi. I was wondering when you were going to ask me about it." Erwin spoke his words without ceasing, and Levi let it all sink it. He took another sip of his drink, and responded.

"Why didn't you just tell me then?"

"I'm telling you now. It's actually why I invited you out to lunch today."

"And here I was thinking you wanted to spend time with me." Levi deadpanned. Erwin grinned and answered.

"As much as you mean to me, Levi, you're not always the most pleasant company to keep."

Levi nodded his head, agreeing with Erwin on that one, and set his glass down, signaling he was ready for an explanation. Erwin took a deep breath, and began.

"I'm sure you've picked up on it by now, this isn't your average case."

"Not at all." Levi agreed.

"This is all a part of an investigation that has been underway for decades."

Levi cocked an eyebrow, curiosity fully engaged, and assumed a position mirroring Erwin's to listen more intently.

"Are you aware that Grisha Jaeger attended Hannover Medical School to receive his doctorate degree?" Erwin asked. Levi nodded, answering yes.

"It is quite a nice school. Had I remained in Germany, I might have taken the medical career into consideration just so I could attend Hannover. Anyway, Hannover and its neighboring cities have been experiencing mass kidnappings dating back to the time Grisha was getting ready to graduate. Investigators couldn't make any leads, and there weren't any patterns to follow."

Erwin took a breath and continued.

"For decades, investigators have been baffled over the growing number of missing people from the city. When Grisha Jaeger graduated and left the country, the number of missing persons had peaked, and for a while, stopped."

Levi nodded again. He didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Now, I'm aware that you have been attempting to contact a Dr. Hanji Zoe, am I correct?"

Levi nodded and spoke. "I emailed her this morning stating how important it is that I talk to her; see if she has any knowledge on Grisha's behavior leading up to Friday."

Erwin made a hum of approval, blue eyes never leaving Levi's steel ones. "And did _she_ respond?"

"I wouldn't know." Levi answered quickly. "I was called in for the Langar case as soon as I hit the send button."

Erwin hummed again, deciding then was a good time to take a sip of whiskey. Levi did the same in hopes to loosen up his throat.

"It's not likely that you'll get a reply." Erwin stated, placing his glass back on the table. Levi sighed, expressing his annoyance. Erwin grinned and continued to explain.

"Like I said, this is all a part of an investigation that has been going on for years, and Dr. Zoe is a part of that investigation. Zoe has been on the tail of a man named Dot Pixis, professor of Hannover Medical School for quite a long time, including when Grisha was in school. Zoe's specialty is anatomy, and what mankind could do if we combined human and animal anatomy."

"I know." Levi stated. "I read her dissertation."

"Good." Erwin said. "Dr. Zoe didn't attend school in Germany, but did receive the grand opportunity to meet Professor Pixis, considering that his specialty is the same thing. Zoe stalked the man for years, obsessed with his work. When Zoe finally met him, years after Grisha had already left Germany..."

Erwin paused to think for a moment, then shrugged and continued.

"She said she was marveled by how much they had in common. His knowledge on human anatomy wasn't shocking considering he's a medical professor, but his knowledge on the possibilities of combining human and animal DNA surprised her. He said he would love to do experiments of such, but it would obviously never be approved."

Levi nodded again, starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"The kidnappings in Hannover had already been going on before Hanji met Pixis, but halted after Grisha left. Now, years and years later, they have resumed. Dr. Jeager is missing.  
Dr. Zoe is on the way to Hannover now. That's who I was talking to yesterday."

"Are you trying to say Jaeger is involved with the kidnappings?" Levi asked, not happy with the story.

"We don't know." Erwin answered.

"Who is we?" Levi asked.

"We is referring to the undercover group of law enforcement that I've never told you about." Erwin stated, as if he hadn't just dropped a huge bomb on Levi.

Levi cocked his head to the side, and Erwin grinned.

"I'm a part of a secret overseas organization called the Geheimnis."

"Geheimnis?" Levi repeated.

"It's German for secret. I know; how original." Erwin stated. "It is a branch of law enforcement that does the background work. We get our hands into the nitty gritty aspect of things to get the job done."

"Background work." Levi laughed out bitterly. "Sounds like grounds for illegal to me."

"You _would_ know." Erwin retorted quickly. He noticed Levi's jaw set, and he knew that he had gotten under his skin.

"And we need your help." he added on.

"Oh, for fucks sake…"

"You have combat skill; something that we're lacking, and we desperately need."

"I suppose you want me to join this Geheimnis cult and exercise my "combat skills"". I know what I used to do, but that's behind me now. I'm sure you wouldn't mind using me though, if it's all in the name of justice." He responded, sarcasm dripping in his voice.

Erwin's face was no longer kind. His scowl had set in too, and it was a scowl Levi had only seen a handful of times. This was Commander Smith, not Erwin, not Mr. Smith, and not his best friend. Despite his friendly attitude, he was commander for a reason.

"You don't miss it?" Erwin asked sweetly, clearly trying to get a rise out of Levi. "The gun shots, running around in the dark, the freedom…"

Levi slammed a hand down on the table, demanding that Erwin shut up. Erwin leaned back in his seat, and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting on Levi to speak.

"You know damn well I don't miss it." Levi hissed. "Why would I miss something that nearly got me killed?"

"The thrill?" Erwin asked. "I don't know why you did what you did, and I never asked you. I only know what you've told me. It didn't matter to me, your reasons. What mattered to me was that you could change; use those skills for something else."

"And I have." Levi raised his voice."I have. I've joined your little investigator's department and used my skills to solve cases. But you're asking me to go back to picking up guns and actually shooting them. That's a problem, Erwin."

"People will die." Erwin added, ignoring Levi's spat. "As you've seen today, whoever is behind this is ruthless. It's all tying together now, and we have people working on this case. We're so close to the end, and this is going to boil down to a standoff. I don't know another man capable of doing it and succeeding than you, Levi."

Levi dropped his scowl and let his stoic mask return. The two sat in silence for minutes, neither one wanting to speak. Erwin was letting Levi soak in everything that he had told him, after all, he knew that he just laid a lot on him.

Levi wasn't sure what to do. Erwin was asking something of him that he wasn't sure he wanted to render. That life was behind him, and he wanted it to remain that way.

They both looked up when they heard footsteps approaching, and Levi saw Annie with a tray of two burgers for him and Erwin. He could see why this was the house special, and why it took so long. Everything was on it, and the fries next to it looked like golden perfection. Erwin thanked Annie, and promised to leave a nice tip, to which she shrugged her shoulders and said 'do what you want.'

Erwin wasted no time situating his food and eating.

Levi stared at his plate, trying to find the words to say, which was hard to do, considering he didn't even know how he felt.

"I'm only asking this of you once, Levi." Erwin said, before taking another bite of his burger.

Levi looked up, and stared at the man he called his best friend. Truthfully, Erwin was his only friend. Petra and the others were close to him through work and work only. He and Erwin had history.

"You want me," Levi stated lowly. "to return to what I was before I met you? Even it is just for a small amount of time."

Erwin nodded his head almost childlike with his cheeks stuffed with food, and Levi sighed heavily before digging into his own. He took the cloth that held the silverware and set it across his lap before he ate. More moments of silence came, and before they knew it, their food was gone. Turns out Levi had an appetite after all.

Annie came back with their bill, and collected the trash, noticing the tension between the two men. Once she was gone, Levi spoke.

"What do you need me to do?"

Erwin smirked triumphantly, and Levi wanted to smack it off his face.

"First things first." Erwin stated. "Because whoever we're dealing with isn't opposed to killing, I'm ordering that you protect Eren Jaeger at all costs. Although he may be close to eighteen, I don't want a minor under anyone's radar."

Levi looked at him and scowled again, knowing exactly where this was going.

"Erwin, please…"

"Consider him under our witness protection program." Erwin continued, mischievous smirk growing.

"Why me?" Levi asked. Another head ache was coming on, and he knew that it wouldn't go away until this case was completely over with.

"Because you're the only one capable of protecting him if something were to happen." Erwin stated. It was the truth, Levi knew it, but if he could avoid this…

"How do you want me to do this?" Levi asked.

Erwin smiled fully, and Levi hated it. He hated it because he knew it was going to be something that would make him suffer, which Erwin found entertaining.

"Eren Jaeger will be living with you until this case is completed."


	4. Chapter 4

"I will punch you out this fucking window."

"I'm glad you're on board." Erwin responded.

"Erwin you can't just…" Levi paused, trying to regain composure. "This is a lot you're asking me to do."

"But you can handle it." Erwin stated, taking on last drink of whiskey before leaving the table, Levi in tow. "I wouldn't ask you if you couldn't handle it."

Levi walked behind Erwin, silently plotting his revenge. It wouldn't be today, tomorrow, or even this week, but it would come.

When they reached the front, Erwin walked to the register, gesturing that lunch was on him, and Levi rolled his eyes.

Erwin just asked him to return to some old habits, adopt a seventeen-year-old, and possibly fly to Germany. The _least_ he could do was pay for lunch.

"Are you the two fellows that devoured my burgers?"

Levi and Erwin turned around and found the face of the voice responsible for asking such an awkward question, and met a middle aged blonde man in a cook's uniform. Annie swiped Erwin's card, and handed it back. Erwin walked over to shake hands with the man.

"Most men can't eat a house burger in one sitting." the cook said. Erwin said something along the lines of 'I'm not most men' and Levi scowled. The cook turned his way and Levi read his name tag.

_'Hannes.'_

"I'm Hannes." He stated, reaching a hand out. "Nice to meet you…."

"Levi." He answered, not accepting the hand shake. Hannes retracted his hand awkwardly, and smiled at both men.

"Maybe next time you come by I'll give you a house burger for free. You can say it's 'on the house.'"

Erwin laughed graciously, what Levi recognized as fake at Hannes horrible pun, while he just stood there and impatiently waited to leave.

Erwin dismissed themselves and the two men were making their way their vehicles on the way out.

"Your social skills haven't improved." Erwin stated, reaching in his pocket for a black pair of shades.

"Not anymore than your eyebrows." Levi responded, smirking as he heard Erwin scoff and get into his vehicle.

"Arlert's house. No." Erwin demanded, only slightly peeved.

Levi wouldn't describe himself as anxious; anxiety just wasn't something he felt these days. But the drive to the Arlert's house was accompanied by an increased heart rate the closer he got. Driving always helped him think, and Levi kept a steady gaze on the road and the houses of the rich while he thought over everything that had happened today.

When Erwin found him, he was a wreck, and had been offered a way out. He could have very well said no, and Erwin would have left him alone, but Levi wanted to be away from the chaos that was once his life; anything would have sounded enticing at that moment.

He accepted this law enforcement job that provided minimal 'jump scares' and moved on. He didn't miss it; not one hell of a bit did he miss it. But Levi wouldn't lie when he said he felt there was something lacking.

It wasn't the gunshots he missed; that was for sure. Nor was it the constant smell of thick smoke and lack of daylight that he craved. Erwin had said something about the 'freedom.' Levi wasn't sure if he would call it freedom, but he had experienced a particular sense of independence in those days-he certainly wasn't _free_.

He wondered why Erwin waited so long to tell him about Geheimnis. He wondered if he had ever planned on telling him about the secret group. He didn't feel betrayed. No, _that_ wasn't it. But he wouldn't lie here either when he said that he was a little confused as to why Erwin would keep that a secret; from him, at least.

He wanted to protest; he wanted to yell that he didn't want this case anymore. It came with too much baggage for his liking. He understood why Eren Jeager would need to be under surveillance. There was no telling who was behind this or what they wanted, or what measures they would take to get it. Murder was clearly an option for them, but nobody else needed to die. Not that Ilse Langar needed to, but still.

When they arrived at the Arlert home, Levi took a deep breath before exiting his car and walking up the small walkway to the front door where he was just yesterday. He was pretty sure Eren would protest as much as he wanted to, but Erwin didn't give in to pleading.

Erwin rang the doorbell, and both listened to the sound of birds chirping and wind blowing through the trees. _Such rich sounds._

When grandfather Arlert opened the door, he looked tired, but forced a smile. He welcomed Erwin and Levi in, leading them to the living room to sit on the couch.

"Would you gentlemen like anything to drink? Water or coffee perhaps?"

"No thank you." Erwin stated. Levi said nothing. He didn't want elder Arlert to go to the trouble, plus no one else managed to make his coffee the way he liked it.

"Well, I'll go get Eren. He's upstairs taking a nap. The news about the assistant at the hospital, Ilse Langar, well…that really got to him. So, whatever it is you have to talk to him about, please, be gentle."

Erwin and Levi nodded curtly while grandfather went upstairs.

Levi doubted that they needed to be as gentle as his tone suggested, seeing that Eren Jeager was a stubborn being. He could tell that much from just the few short moments he spent with the boy. He was hot headed, and that was something Levi would never be accustomed to, ever.

Soft footsteps came from the stairway, and in walked Eren and grandfather.

Levi took him in and saw the circles under his eyes again. His 'nap' must not have gone so well. His white t-shirt was crinkled, as were his jeans. The boy's bed head was _God_ awful. His dark brown hair was sticking in different directions.

Eren sat down in a single plush chair and looked at the ground. Levi assumed he always did this when he wasn't sure how he was feeling. The night he first met Eren, the boy was looking down. But when he got fired up, the light in his eyes, his tempter, his head, everything about him went up. It was a quick change.

Grandfather took the similar seat next to Eren, and Erwin cleared his throat to speak.

"Eren." He said sympathetically. "I know the recent news of Ilse Langar must be upsetting for you, but trust when I say that we have some important people working on this case as we speak. We are going to find your father."

Eren nodded, barely, while grandfather nodded a tad bit more vigorously.

Levi mentally huffed.

Erwin hadn't said 'dead or alive.'

"The events of today have opened our eyes. We now see that whoever is behind this, whether they work alone or not, are not opposed to murder. I believe Dr. Grisha Jaeger was taken for a reason, but there's no telling what that reason, or those reasons, are. We don't know if they'll come after his family for answers to whatever they want to know."

Erwin took a deep breath and forced a smile as he resumed speech.

"That being said, I am officially placing Eren under our witness protection program. He will no longer be allowed to stay here, as staying here would put you and Armin Arlert in danger as well."

Erwin gestured a kind hand to both individuals. Levi examined their expressions, noting that grandfather's remained the same, while Eren's became more agitated by the moment. Erwin had still been talking when he interrupted.

"What if they come here anyway?" Eren asked, not caring he interrupted.

Levi flicked his eyes to Erwin, who looked surprised by the outburst.

Unlike Levi, Erwin had not seen the impulsiveness that was Eren. Erwin answered him respectfully, giving him the details of witness protection and how it will affect those around him.

"But the goal is to keep you safe." Erwin stated, pointing to Eren. "Say your father is alive, and…"

"He is." Eren bit out.

Grandfather let out a tired 'Eren' sigh, and Levi cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, of course." Erwin said. "Whoever did this needs him for something. If your father is not giving them information, what are the chances that they come after you, his blood?"

Eren seemed to contemplate for just a short moment before, unfortunately, opening his mouth.

"I don't need protection." Eren said, to which Levi closed his eyes and rolled them.

Grandfather said his name again, exasperated, but calling the boys name was obviously not getting through to him.

"Eren this is for your safety." grandfather said. "You could get hurt too."

"I don't need anyone to babysit me." Eren responded, jaw jutting forward slightly.

Levi could practically _feel_ the stubborn radiating off him. The idea that this was going to be a part of his life for an indefinite amount of time made his head throb.

"You won't be able to attend school." Erwin stated, putting the conversation back where he wanted it to be. "You will be continuing classes online."

Erwin Smith was such a good persuader. Like, if there was a career where all you needed to do was persuade, for whatever reason, he'd be the founder, CEO, and image of it. That same talent is what probably made Levi turn from his ways. That and some other circumstances.

Give and take a little.

But Eren Jaeger's stubbornness _had_ to match that of Erwin's power of persuasion. It was a verbal battle going on in the room. Eren was the wall, and Erwin was the destroyer. He'd seen Erwin win every time, but could he face the looming wall of the Jaeger?

It was then that Levi realized he needed to fucking sleep.

Apparently arguing had ensued, because grandfather looked more flustered than usual, and Eren was spouting off something about 'not being a burden' and 'he could take care of himself.'

"Hey." Levi interrupted sharply, more than intended, earning everyone's attention. "Getting knocked out does not qualify as taking care of yourself."

"I was outnumbered!" Eren bickered.

"And with the people we're dealing with, you'll be outgunned if you try to face this alone. Now, none of us here want to see a kid in a body bag, so I suggest you suck it up and let this happen. I'm not happy about it either, but it is necessary for safety."

Eren huffed, letting it go through one ear and out the other. "What does it matter to you?" He asked spitefully.

"You will be staying with detective Levi here until this case is solved." Erwin said, finally dropping the bomb. Everyone, except Levi, stopped breathing for a moment, letting that sink in. If they were already facing resistance, it was sure to increase tenfold because…

"No!" Eren yelled, standing up. "Not with him of all people!"

"Eren." Grandfather warned.

Erwin cleared his throat, letting only an ounce of his irritation seep in. "Levi is the only Stohess detective qualified to protect you. He has special skills that would prove beneficial should anything ever become, for lack of a better term, crazy."

Levi inwardly sighed at Erwin's mentioning of 'special skills.' He didn't know 'equipped to kill' was a special skill. It would surely prove beneficial though.

Eren's eyes raked over Levi slowly, as if he could spot those 'special skills' on the outside.

"He hates me." Eren argued, to which Levi actually let an amused laugh filter through, earning a pair of green eyes full of dislike on his.

"No he does not." Erwin said, almost sympathetically, as if he could understand Eren's struggle with that.

Levi could be cold sometimes, so to that, Erwin would not argue too much. Eren, with his anger reaching a peak, turned around and made his way to the back doors leading to the patio. He needed a breather.

When he was outside, he sat down heavily at the stone table the Arlert's used for cookouts, and crossed his arms.

Eren was not something that needed to be protected, much less by Levi. There were so many things he could say to argue his point, but even to him, it started to sound like bullshit.

He understood the importance of his safety, and his safety also meant the safety of Armin, grandpa, and Mikasa too.

Eren sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair to feel the sun.

Eren thought of Carla, and Grisha, and everything that had come to a head in his life. Why couldn't his life be normal? Why couldn't he have both his parents at home, living a happy life? Why did he have to be so stubborn?

What was wrong with him?

He heard the small groan of the patio door being opened, and a soft click of it being closed. He knew it was grandfather, because Armin and Mikasa weren't home, and the man's tendency to huff when he sat down was another indicator.

For minutes, neither said anything. Eren wondered if Commander Erwin and detective Levi left, giving up on him; hopefully they had, but he didn't ask.

"Remember when you, Armin, Mikasa, and all your other friends came here for the fourth of July? And Sasha ate so much she threw up on Connie. Connie cried, and everyone laughed." Grandfather said.

Eren opened his eyes finally and leaned forward in his seat, turning his head to make eye contact with grandfather. He was confused as to why he would bring up something at a time like this. Especially something that happened when they were all ten years old.

"Yea." He answered tiredly. "And Connie started chasing Sasha around for that, and you were running after them."

The two laughed, because the memory of grandfather running after a delusional, gross Connie and erratic Sasha was enough to trigger that. Eren remembered doubling over in laughter; even Mikasa had to cover her mouth to refrain from laughing so hard. Jean had punched Marco's arm in excitement, while Marco just winced slightly and continued to laugh. Bert wrapped his arms around Annie and Reiner, all three joining in laughter. If he was correct, that was one of the only times Eren had seen Bert be so free.

Their laughter died down, and grandfather wiped a tear of mirth from his cheek. "You know," He started, catching his breath. "I was hardly able to get to them then. I had to tackle little Connie, which meant getting throw up on my clothes."

Eren started laughing again, good memories flowing through his mind. Their group of friends would forever have crazy memories like those, and they'd never grow old.

"If it were to happen again, I wouldn't be able to keep up now either." Grandfather said, a soft smile on his face, but his tone becoming serious.

Eren cleared his throat and sat quietly, waiting for the punch line.

"I'm an old man, Eren. I've been old since before you were born." He huffed. "It was hard for me to accept that I was getting old, and people wanted to constantly help me, more than they used to, and do things for me. It was upsetting. It was upsetting because I didn't believe I needed any help, because I wasn't ready to accept that I was getting old."

"Grandpa." Eren interrupted.

"Eren, listen." he bit out, immediately silencing Eren. "Your stubbornness rivals that of your mother. Carla was a stubborn woman, always doing what she wanted to because it was right to her. One time, I was planting flowers in the front yard, and she drove by. She got out, and offered to help me. Of course I told her it was no trouble and she could go about her day, but by the time I was finished talking, she had picked up a shovel and started digging."

Grandpa smiled tightly, as if it was painful to think about to some degree.

"I argued her down, because I didn't want any help. Well, let's just say it ended with my garden fertilized and Carla smirking triumphantly before she left. The woman always got her way."

And to that, Eren smiled a gentle, yet sad smile. It was one that said he appreciated the story. He loved hearing about his mom.

"So you get it from your mother." Grandfather continued. "And I get it from…well…I'm not sure, but I knew I got over it. Once I realized that a little help now and then wasn't hurting anyone, I swallowed my pride and let things happen. Because what if I had fallen off the ladder when I was putting that new light bulb in the porch lamp? Or if I had sprained my wrists trying to carry all the groceries at once? Or if I had played football with little Reiner and broken a hip?"

Eren turned his head to the side and met grandpa's eyes.

"My stubbornness doesn't just hurt me, but it hurts the people that care about me too. You see what I'm saying, Eren?"

Eren, having felt chastised, nodded, because he knew perfectly well what grandfather was telling him.

"Let them help you." He continued. "I know detective Levi doesn't seem like the warmest person the world's ever seen, but at least you'll be safe, and that's what matters. Not your pride, or your dislike of him, but your life always means more. Because quite frankly, if someone barged into this house with guns drawn, I wouldn't be able to protect you, and we'd all get hurt."

Eren nodded, feeling his throat tightening again, because he couldn't believe how selfish he had been. Staying could mean putting Armin and grandpa in danger, and there was no way he wanted them to fall victim to this madness. So, he stood up, and leaned down to hug grandpa, and told him how sorry he was.

"Don't be." Grandpa consoled. "I understand your frustration, but you need to be safe. That's all I want."

It wasn't much later that the two went back inside, and Eren saw Erwin and Levi still on the couch, sitting in silence. When Levi's eyes flicked to meet his, Eren's heart rate increased marginally.

This was the man he'd be staying with for an indefinite amount of time. He knew nothing about Levi, his life, his habits; nothing.

He sat down in the seat he had previously been in, and tore his eyes away from the detective's.

"I'm sorry." Eren said. "I understand what you're trying to do, and I'm sorry for blowing up, sir."

Levi could tell that Eren was specifically talking to Erwin, and that was fine by him. It didn't hurt his feelings. He'd actually be happy if Erwin let Eren go, then he wouldn't have to live with the kid. Erwin accepted the apology happily, and clapped his hands together once.

"Now." Erwin said. "Let's try this again."

888

The scent of rotting flesh was never pleasant to wake up to. Nor was it pleasant to wake up still tired, dizzy, and nauseous.

He groaned, not only from pain, but to see if there was anyone in the room with him; alive, that is. His throat was dry, unbearably so. If he was going to talk, he would need water first.

The sound of shuffling feet came from behind him in the dimly lit warehouse-like room, but he couldn't turn his neck to see. It was either one of three people; they were all assigned shifts to watch him. As if he could do anything tied up to a wooden chair and drugged.

"Grisha." A voice cut through the silence, slightly echoing. Grisha knew exactly who it was; that calm, soft voice only belonged to one person he knew. He groaned again, hoping Moblit would get the point that he needed water.

He heard footsteps, this time walking away, and a squeak and rush of water. A cup was being filled, and Grisha closed his eyes for a moment. His legs had fallen asleep a long time ago, and his wrists hurt with struggle and low circulation.

He opened his eyes when he felt ice cold hands tilt his head up, and the rim of a cup touch his lips.

"Drink this." Moblit said, his tone grossly nurturing. Grisha did, of course, and didn't care that the water, or cup, tasted metallic.

Probably blood.

He gasped when he downed the whole thing, closed his eyes again, wondering if he could focus on finding strength to speak, even though his throat was no longer scratchy. He looked at the face in front of him.

Moblit Berner always looked kind, probably because he was. He had always been an extremely helpful person; always following. Following orders, people, dreams that weren't even his. It was for those same reasons that Grisha had assumed a long time ago that Moblit didn't have a mind of his own. However, that never came up as a topic of conversation between the two.

Even now, his face masked slightly by the poor lighting in the cold room, he looked kind. If Grisha had his glasses, he was sure he could make out the faintest hint of a smirk on his face.

Moblit pulled away, and stepped back to the sink area where he filled the cup in the first place. He must have been washing other things as well, because the clanking of metal against metal and water was still sounding in the room.

"You know," Moblit spoke. "It would be easier if you helped us. Easier on you; easier on us too."

Grisha said nothing. He had nothing to say. He felt swells of anger rise underneath, but his expression never betrayed how he was feeling. He learned to remain impassive; it was the safest way to live.

"I hate seeing you like this, Grisha." Moblit spoke again, this time, the water stopping, and he dried his hands on his wool sweater.

He turned around and grabbed the chair he had been sitting in for hours, and pulled it to sit on front of Grisha. His calloused hands folded in his lap, and his eyes met Grisha's.

Grisha looked weary, and of course he would. His blood had been pumped with sedatives for hours upon hours now. He hadn't eaten either.

"Would you like something to eat?" Moblit asked, true concern in his voice. Grisha's eyes hardened, but his face remained unreadable. Moblit cocked his head to the side curiously, and spoke.

"We won't let you starve to death." He said. "So, I'll get you something."

Moblit got up to leave the room, the chair left where he had been. The sound of a heavy metal door opening resonated behind Grisha, and a loud sound replaced it when it closed. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes and thinking.

He didn't see an end to this. Well, he did. But the end he envisioned was himself in a pile of his own blood, on one of those examination tables to be exact.

He thought of Eren. He was told he was alright, but that wasn't much comfort, because that meant they were watching him.

It was amazing how the past could catch up with someone. It was always unexpected, and therefore, inconvenient. He thought about the days where he was still in Germany. He attended medical school in hopes to be a surgeon, and he met that goal too. He moved to America in attempts to run away from his past, and look how that turned out.

He was back in Germany, back in the same room, where it all started.

888

"Call and text me everyday." Mikasa said in Eren's ear. Eren hummed something in agreement, and continued to hug his 'sister.'

Armin was next to him, waiting for his turn. Grandfather was a few feet behind him, the hard age lines of his face less visible in the night. Mikasa reluctantly let go of Eren, and Armin moved in for his hug as well.

"You're going to be alright." The blond reassured. "This is all going to be solved soon."

Eren nodded, his head on Armin's shoulder. His throat felt tight again, but he fought away the tears that wanted to spill. He wasn't moving away permanently, and he wasn't really going away. He'd be across the city, but still.

When he let go of Armin, he walked to grandfather, and hugged him too. Grandpa patted him hard on the back, and Eren inhaled deeply.

Levi was feet away, standing by his car, arms crossed, gaze pretending to be somewhere else, but he was watching the whole thing. Those embraces, the comforting words, those green eyes with a hint of blue and sadness in them...

Erwin, who was standing by his own car, was observing the scene as well, a sad smirk on his face. Levi knew what it symbolized.

There was no telling what direction this case would go in now. Just because Eren was being placed under protection didn't mean he was invincible. Levi didn't brag; his 'special skills' did live up to their name, but he wasn't perfect. Or at least he didn't think he was.

Eren grabbed his grey duffle off the red brick walkway, and turned around to head towards Levi's car.

Levi grabbed his keys from his pants pocket and clicked a button, making the trunk pop. Eren walked to the back, and placed his duffle in, taking a deep breath as he pushed down on the door to close it.

This was really happening. He was really about to start living with Levi. The man hadn't said anything else to him, and Eren was worrying even more than normal. Was he always this quiet? Did he have any habits that would piss him off? Did he own a pet?

He wasn't sure where that last one came from, but blame the mind and its tendency to wander.

Eren looked up, the moonlight bright in his eyes, and imagined being able to fly. If he could grow wings and fly away, high, towards the moon, would that be enough to escape everything here on the ground?

He shook his head abruptly, and noticed that Erwin had walked up to grandfather, and was speaking. Mikasa and Armin stood and listened intently, not wanting to miss a word of what he was saying.

Eren couldn't even hear what was being said, but the commander's kind yet business-like expression made him want to walk back to where the group was standing and listen as well.

"He's giving them final rundowns." He heard a bored voice behind him say. Eren turned around, and saw the short detective, hands in black coat pockets, and appearance illegible as usual.

There was something about Levi, Eren thought, that was cryptic. He felt like an idiot for assuming an impassive detective in all black had a past, but judging a book by its cover was normal. It wasn't the attire per say, nor was it the blank face. But those eyes that were steel blue and foggy grey held something in them that hinted a threat.

Commander Smith had said Levi was the only one capable of protecting him if things got crazy. Eren wanted to ask. He wanted to know just how skilled Levi was, but was afraid if he did, he'd get a punch to the face as an answer. Eren hadn't missed Levi tense for a moments time when Erwin said 'special skills.' It came as fast as it went, and he wondered if he had seen correctly.

"Unless you're going to say something, stop staring, Jeager."

Eren quickly turned away, not even realizing that he had been caught looking in those steel eyes he had just been thinking about. _There was something behind them._

He saw Mikasa walking quickly towards him. She gave him one last hug while Levi got in his car and started the engine. It was a nice, clean purr.

"If anything happens," Mikasa said quietly. "You let me know."

Eren smirked, it was faked, and nodded. Mikasa backed away, letting Eren open his car door and slip inside. He was very well aware of Mikasa's fighting abilities, although he wasn't sure where they came from. It's like they came out of nowhere one day when she was saving his ass in a school fight years ago.

Once the car door closed, Eren immediately noted the silence, chill, and lingering cologne smell. It was altogether soothing somehow.

The group waved, including Erwin while he walked back to his car, as Levi started to drive away. Eren looked in the mirror, watching them become smaller and smaller before they were on a whole new road and driving down the hazily lighted streets of Trost.

The car ride was silent, but Eren could tell they weren't leaving the area just yet. It wasn't until he saw the big entrance to his neighborhood that he finally spoke.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"Your house." Levi answered. "You won't be attending school, but you still need your books. You will continue education online."

Eren turned his gaze back to the road and thought for a moment. It wasn't until they pulled into the driveway of the Jeager home that Eren asked another question.

"What about my friends? They'll notice I'm missing."

"The Arlert's and Mikasa know what to say." Levi said, stopping the engine. "Grab anything else you might need while you're in there. I don't want to drive the distance to Trost again for a while."

Eren nodded, not meeting Levi's eyes, and got out of the car. His footsteps felt heavy walking towards the door.

He knew there was a spare key under the mat at the front door, so he grabbed it, and opened the door.

He knew there wasn't anyone in the house, but he still felt vigilant. No one was going to come out of the shadows and hurt him, but still, knowing that he was a possible target was making him paranoid.

Upstairs in his room, he saw that his bed was still unmade from Friday morning. There were a few clothes strewn on the floor. His school books sat on his desk, and Eren went to his closet to pull out another duffle bag.

It was smaller, because this was the one he used for staying the night somewhere else. It was weighed down unevenly on one side by the books, and Eren grabbed extra underwear and socks. He went to his bathroom across the hall, and grabbed some essentials. He looked underneath the sink for his shampoo and conditioner and grabbed those as well.

He saw the familiar, unopened box of condoms underneath too. The fact that he even considered he might need it for whatever reason made his cheeks heat. He would literally be in no position to use these while staying with Levi. It was dumb to even think it.

So Eren was confused when he still buried the box underneath his extra clothes anyway.

He stood in the center of his room, glancing around slowly, wondering if there was anything else he wanted to bring. His eyes caught the pictures tacked on the wall above his desk, and he walked over to grab two.

The first one was a picture of him and his mom. He was only four at the time, and he couldn't make out where they had been, but Carla had been holding him, both their smiles mirroring each other's.

The second one was of him and his group of friends. It was taken last summer at Connie's house. It was some kind of pool party with a few extra attendees, but the photo was just of their group. Connie and Sasha were in the middle, Jean to Connie's left, and Krista to Sasha's right. Marco followed Jean, and Ymir followed Krista. After Jean was Eren, then Armin, and Mikasa. After Ymir was Reiner, then Annie, then Bert.

It was one of his favorite photos of them all. Everyone was making a ridiculous face, accept Bert, who smiled awkwardly as always, and Marco, who just blushed and let his cute freckles do all the talking.

Everything was so much simpler back then.

Eren sighed and quickly put both photos in his bag as well, careful to leave them on the top so they wouldn't be crumpled. He left his room with a soft close of the door behind him, and walked slowly past his father's bedroom, begging himself not to go inside. There was nothing in there that would help anyway.

He walked down the stairs and towards the back to make sure the door was locked.

When he walked through the living room and the hallway where it all happened, he felt slightly dizzy. The images of walking down stairs and seeing his father restrained and kicking were pulsing in this mind. The rush of adrenalin as Eren swung the vase blindly at one of the kidnappers, the feel of his vision blackening around the edges like a burning photo while on the ground.

Eren walked briskly though and ignored it. He was sure Levi would be getting impatient with him. He'd taken longer than planned.

He closed the house door, and decided to keep the spare key with him. Slipping it into his jean pocket, he walked away-away from the house, the emotions, and memories. He was sure they'd come back and present themselves in his sleep as they did every time he tried to doze off.

He saw the outline of the trunk slightly elevated, and knew that Levi must have opened it for him again. He threw his other bag next to the one already inside, and closed the trunk, this time harder than the first.

888

Levi took note of the unexpected silence of the car ride. It wasn't like he expected, or wanted, Eren to start spouting off and never stop. He just figured the teen would have had something to say or ask.

He also noticed Eren look tenser after the visitation to his house. He knew the memories were probably bothering him. After all, not everyone can watch their parent get taken and then be knocked out and walk away unscathed. Eren may not have physical damage as a result, but emotionally, he was wounded.

Or Levi assumed so. In all his years of working, legal or not, he knew that emotions were the worst enemies of some men. Everyone has a weakness, physical and emotional. Levi thought back to the days where both weaknesses were vital in his line of work.

The city traffic was annoying as always, and Levi cursed a few or four times under his breath at reckless or slow drivers. He didn't miss Eren's shoulders shake a little when he berated the car in front of him for cutting him off.

Once they arrived on his side of town, Levi noticed Eren looking out the window intently.

"Have you ever been on this side of town before?" Levi asked.

Eren, whose eyes resembled that of a deer's caught in headlights, turned his head to Levi as if he had been caught doing something bad. Levi squinted, not really sure why the boy looked so shocked.

"Only a few times." He answered, his voice normal, turning to look out the window again. "My father attended black and white parties in the area. I unfortunately had to tag along. It sucked. I don't know why he thought I wanted to parade around in a suit in front of people I didn't know or care for, but whatever."

Eren was afraid he had said too much, and turned his head to look at Levi, waiting for a gaze of disapproval. Instead, he saw an expression that he wouldn't quite classify as approval, but something of the sort. He was going to ask a question, but he felt the car slow down, and turned his head forward to see them approaching the car garage of a nice, large apartment complex.

"This is where you live?" He asked, stating the obvious. Levi didn't say anything, but nodded, not even caring if Eren saw it or not. He pulled into his usual parking spot, and stopped the engine. He got out, popped the trunk, and started walking towards the elevator embedded in the concrete wall, hoping Eren would keep up.

It was after eight, and Levi knew that Eren would be hungry. He sighed as the teen boarded the elevator with his two duffle bags, and complained about his stomach growling.

"What?" Eren asked as the elevator pinged and road up. "I'm a growing boy. I need food."

Levi said nothing, and refrained from rolling his eyes. When they reached his floor, they got off and Eren took in the hallway around him.

The walls were a soft cream color, and the carpeted floor suggested that this apartment complex was a high class one. Eren didn't know what kind of money Levi made as a detective, but it must be good considering the location of his living quarters.

As Levi unlocked the door, he gestured for Eren to go inside first. Eren obeyed and didn't catch Levi look both ways before closing the door behind him.

Eren observed the comfy surroundings. He was honestly surprised; he hadn't expected such a warm looking place to belong to such a cold man.

The living room was plain, consisting of a medium sized ivory couch. It wasn't tacky, and fit the ivory and gold accents of the apartment well. There was a low coffee table, and a medium sized flat screen on the wall opposite of the couch.

"That couch will be your new bed." He heard Levi say, his voice muffled.

But Eren really wasn't paying too much attention. He was still reeling over the environment he found himself in. There was noise coming from the kitchen, and instead of following Levi in there, he walked to sit on the couch, carefully.

'I hope I don't break anything in here.' Eren thought.

The area smelled faintly of the cologne Levi's car smelled of. Eren wondered what brand it was, because he liked it. Of course, he would never ask.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting on the couch, but the aroma of something good lingered in the room, and Eren stood up to walk towards the kitchen.

He was greeted by a heavier smell of food being cooked on the stove by a lean muscled detective.

With Levi's usual attire of a black jacket gone, Eren could see the fine lines of muscle in his arms. It let him know that his assumption was correct, yes, Levi was built underneath that black coat.

"Make yourself useful and set the table."

Eren gulped, not knowing Levi knew he was there. That was the second time Levi had caught him staring, and the man hadn't even been looking.

Eren stepped forward slowly, his shoes making muffled sounds on the hard floor.

"Silverware is in the drawer to my right. Glassware and plates are in the cabinet to my left. Get bowls." Levi instructed.

Eren walked to the cabinet first, carefully picking out two white ceramic bowls, and setting two small glasses on the counter next to them. There was a small dining table in the corner of the kitchen next to a window. There were two chairs placed on opposite ends, so Eren placed the plates and glasses accordingly.

When he went back for silverware, he took the opportunity to look at the stove and see what Levi was cooking. He saw noodles boiling, and a few containers of seasoning a little ways off. Next to the pot of boiling noodles, he saw a small pot of a white looking substance simmering.

"Alfredo."

Eren looked up quickly, before opening the drawer and grabbing two forks and two knives. Levi had a skill of answering his questions before he asked. Was that a part of his 'special skills' set?

Realizing that he was just standing there, Eren went back to the table and placed the silverware down. He decided to shoot Mikasa a quick text message saying he was alright and getting ready to eat. She was probably still at Armin's, and would probably be for a while. As soon as he sent it, she replied.

_'And him?'_

Eren knew she was asking about Levi, and responded.

_'He's fine.'_

And that was that. Eren walked over to the kitchen sink to wash his hands. He decided he liked the design.

Decoration wasn't something he paid attention to, really, but he liked the feel of Levi's apartment already. It was quiet, and somehow felt homey.

It was ten more minutes before the food was ready. Eren had been sitting at the table, gazing out the window. Several thoughts ran through his mind, and he wondered how Levi was feeling about all this. A single man wouldn't want to house a temperamental teenage boy, would he? Wait…was Levi even single?

He'd probably never get around to asking that question, whether it was innocent or not.

He heard footsteps, knowing Levi was coming over with the food. He sat up straight, watching as creamy, steamy noodles poured carefully from the steel pot into the bowl, and soon, Levi was doing the same for his bowl.

The man walked to set the pot on the stove, and washed his hands thoroughly before eating. Eren wondered if he was supposed to wait before stuffing his face or not. It was too late though, because as soon as the food was placed in his bowl, he went to town, and it was delicious.

His father was a mediocre cook, and the only time he got to eat quality meals was at Armin's house, or one of his friend's. Sasha's especially. She and her mom made the best potato bacon soup his tongue ever had the pleasure of tasting.

His current meal was so good, he hadn't noticed the detective sitting across from him, eyes squinted.

Levi watched the boy eat like he hadn't eaten in days, and then wondered if he had. He knew Eren had to be worried, but for the sake of it…

"You have terrible table manners." He said, grabbing his own fork and pausing. Eren looked up, mouth full, and stray noodles hanging out here and there.

"And I see you don't know how to properly set a table."

Levi began to eat, and Eren gulped down everything, feeling peeved.

"What do you mean?" He asked, not caring about the volume of his voice. "I put the plates and silverware on the table like you asked…"

"Forks to the left, knives to the right. Cups to the right, slightly above the plate or bowl."

"Speaking of cups," Eren said, ignoring Levi's insults. "Isn't my cup supposed to be filled?"

Levi looked up, his eyes meeting Eren's. Once again, he was impressed with how steady the boy's gaze held his, and cocked his head to the side, indicating that the teen had a point. He got up quietly, walking to the fridge. Eren watched him, wondering if he pissed the man off.

"Orange juice, milk, and several bottles of water." Levi said, turning his head to Eren, waiting on him to choose.

"No soda?" Eren asked, and to which Levi closed the fridge and walked back to the table to resume eating. Eren couldn't help but smirk a little bit, noting how the man looked annoyed, but not angry.

"I just told you the options." Levi replied.

Eren huffed and stood up, walking to the fridge himself. He decided water would have to do, and grabbed a bottle. Levi wasn't lying when he said 'several bottles of water.' The fridge was over fifty percent water, and the rest was cooking essentials.

"What would you like?"

Levi wasn't expecting Eren to ask what he wanted, but answered. "Water is fine."

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, both males making tiny discoveries about the other. Eren noticed the Levi liked things to be clean. His attire, apartment, and table manners suggested so. Occasionally, his eyes would wander to the window and look out across the city before resuming his food.

Levi noted the Eren didn't so much care about manners as much as he did the meal itself, which was only slightly annoying. His elbows were on the table, his smacking was audible, and he stuffed his cheeks. It was disgusting, but Levi found it, strike him down for saying this, kind of cute. The boy looked more at ease than he had earlier, and that was comforting for some reason.

"I can do dishes." Eren volunteered, once they were done.

"No."

"What?" Eren asked, following Levi to the kitchen sink. "You cooked, I can at least…"

"No."

"Why?" Eren asked, genuinely curious. Levi didn't answer for a while, hoping Eren would just leave. When he didn't, he sighed lightly, and spoke.

"You won't wash them properly."

And the kid laughed. Eren laughed at it, and Levi found himself getting more annoyed than with his manners earlier.

"Seriously? Are you some kind of neat freak?"

Eren regretted the words as soon as he said it, because Levi stopped washing the bowls abruptly, and slowly turned around to glare at Eren with steel eyes.

"Sorry." Eren said quickly, forcing his smile away, retreating from the kitchen.

He went back to the living room, mostly because his stuff was there, and Levi hadn't yet introduced him to the rest of the apartment. He sat on the couch, wondering just how he had gotten here.

Yesterday, he was in the comfort of Armin's home. Two days ago, he was in the comfort of his own home. Today, he was in the awkward silence of a stranger's home, but at least the décor was nice.

It wasn't too long before Levi walked in the living room, all lean muscle in that black, short sleeved shirt, and dark jeans. Eren was upset that he continued to notice those kinds of things.

The detective sat down on the opposite end of the couch, not facing him or looking at him either, but staring ahead of him, as if he was seeing something Eren couldn't.

"Ground rules, Jaeger." Levi cut the silence. "One, clean up after yourself. If you leave a sock, underwear, anything anywhere it does not belong I'll be pissed. Two, you cannot invite anyone here. I know that seems like a given, but still, I don't want anyone in my apartment. If you want to order food, fine, ask me, and I'll answer the door to pay for it. As far as you need to be concerned, you have dropped off the face of the earth for a while, and no one needs to know where you are. Is that understood?"

Eren recognized that ascetic tone as one that was not asking as so much telling. The first time he heard it was when he snapped at Levi out of irritation and anxiety the night his father was taken. Levi calmly but sternly demanded Eren to calm down and talk.

"Yes sir." Eren said. Levi nodded curtly, and continued.

"My work assistant will be coming here tomorrow to help set up your online schooling for you. I'll be going to the office after she shows up. So, when she leaves, you are not to go anywhere."

Eren nodded, understanding.

"The bathroom is down the hall, to your left." Levi said, standing up to leave the living room. "I have work to do. Don't use all the hot water."

And with that, Levi disappeared down the carpeted hallway, and Eren heard the sound of a door closing.

888

Once Levi was in his room, he let out a deep breath, and immediately found the files he tossed on his bed, and cringed, because there were papers scattered. He hadn't been in here since this morning, and he had to leave suddenly before he had the opportunity to clean.

He organized those papers first, logged onto his laptop, and relayed today's events.

Isle Lagnar and Grisha Jaeger.

One dead, the other missing.

Lagnar was under Jaeger's teachings for only two shorts months before Grisha was taken, and Isle was killed. Levi wasn't sure what to make of it quite yet, but there was no doubt in his tired mind that they were connected.

Erwin was right. Whoever they were dealing with was dangerous and looking for _something_. If Dr. Jaeger was still alive, it was because _they_, whoever they might be, needed him for something. If he was dead, _they_ no longer had use for him.

Erwin had said Dr. Zoe was in on this as well, helping them solve this case. Although, her objectives dealt with Dot Pixis, the old professor from Hannover with scientific ideals mirroring her own.

It wasn't much to go on, but it sure as hell was a start.

Levi typed down the updated information, and scoffed quietly. His detective skills weren't so much going to be of use here as his 'special skills' were. Since that was currently his job, he decided that his work out regiment would have to be intensified for a while.

There were certain things he was sure to be rusty in, but that was no longer acceptable. Erwin had given him his mission, and he was to be ready.

After an hour of updating and thinking, Levi closed his laptop and made his way out of his room to the bathroom. He heard the water running, and knew that Eren was in there.

Levi walked to the living room, and found a place to sit on the couch among a couple pillows and a blanket. He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV, trying to find something to pass time. He skipped the depressing local news and even more depressing world news, and landed on a new cop show.

He had caught it a few times, and apparently Petra loved it, because she talked about it all the time. Levi thought it was decent. The action and sequence of events weren't always realistic for law enforcement, but it was a show after all. A few episodes featured real life events, which always made it more interesting.

He noticed Eren walk back in, towel drying his hair, and boxers on with a blue pajama top.

Eren froze, while Levi's eyes fixed themselves back on the screen. He thought the man would still be in his room, and Eren planned to come right out and curl up under his blanket on the couch. He wondered if he should fish in his bag for pants, or if he should just leave it alone. Levi hadn't said anything, so…

"Sit down. You're making me anxious." Levi lied.

The teen sat on the opposite side, almost on the arm rest, of the couch, as far away from Levi as he could get.

Levi was only mildly baffled by Eren's behavior.

Eren trained his eyes ahead of him, and forced himself not to look to his side. He sat stiffly in his grey boxers, and wondered when the man would leave. Apparently, Levi was interested on the show in front of him, with his arms crossed over his chest, leg over one knee, and hard eyes focused on the screen in front of him, and oh shit he was staring again…

"What show is this?" Eren asked, breaking the silence. Why? He didn't know.

"It's called 'The Truth.'" Levi answered, not liking the corny name. The show would be ending soon, and he would leave Eren and his bashfulness alone.

Eren nodded, and started to pay attention to the show. It wasn't long before he was wrapped up in it, only with ten minutes left to go. Soon, he forgot his inhibitions, and started asking Levi questions.

"Who's that?"

"Why are they there?"

"Is he going to die?"

To which Levi answered "The main character, James. I don't know, and I don't know."

The episode ended with a cliffhanger, to Levi's displeasure, and apparently Eren's as well, judging from the disappointed sound he made at the end.

"We have to wait till next Sunday to find out what happens." Eren said, and Levi nodded.

He handed the boy the remote, and Eren looked at it with questioning eyes.

"Take the damn remote." Levi said, annoyed. Eren took it quickly and apologized. Levi stopped himself from rolling his eyes, and walked down the hallway to the bathroom.

As soon as Eren heard the door shut, he smacked his hands on his face.

"Stupid." He breathed. Levi was only handing him the remote, and he acted all weird. As if suddenly remembering he didn't have pants on, Eren grabbed his blanket and threw it over him, covering his lower half. Levi hadn't said anything about him in boxers either, which he was glad for.

Realizing that there was nothing else on that he wanted to watch, or had energy to focus on, Eren turned off the TV, and walked to the opposite side of the living room to turn off the light. The only light the room still had was the moonlight streaming through the blinds on the windows.

Eren grabbed his phone and set up his pillows and laid down on the couch.

This would be his life. He smirked sadly, wondering how long it would be before Levi or Erwin delivered the news that his father was dead.

Everyone had been telling Eren to keep his head up, not to give up hope, but the chances of his father still being alive were looking slim. What would he do? He was still seventeen, and it would be another year before he turned eighteen. March just passed, and so did his birthday. Senior year was approaching, and he wondered by the time August rolled around if he would be an orphan.

He felt something hot slip down his cheek, and realized it was a single tear. He didn't make the effort to wipe his cheek, but stayed silent, thinking more and more about life without his father. Sure, Grisha and he had never been the closest, but that was still his father, and he'd give anything to know where he was, and if he was okay.

But until then, he'd have to live here, with Levi, until good news or bad news came his way.


	5. Chapter 5

Monday...

"You know," A voice traveled through the dark. "Professor is an impatient man. You're eventually going to have to give up."

Grisha said nothing, not that he didn't have plenty to say, but there was no sense in auguring with someone who could harm you at any given moment. He had been through another intense round of questioning, this time by Mike.

Yes, Mike Zacharius.

As if on cue, the tall man made his way to stand in front of his captive, arms crossed, and Grisha had to look up far to meet his eyes. Mike had always been tall, and Grisha wondered if he had somehow gotten taller since their college years.

"How long are you prepared to keep this up?" Mike asked, head cocked to the side slightly.

Grisha's throat was dry and sore, his legs felt like dead weight, his body felt pumped through, as it had been, and his wrists were chaffed and bloody with struggle.

"As long as it takes." He answered dryly, immediately coughing afterwards.

"Well," Mike said, lowering himself to a squat to be eye level with Grisha. "As long as it takes isn't good enough and you know that."

"Why are you still involved with this?" Grisha asked quickly, this throat protesting. "I never knew you to be someone's pet."

"I'm not a pet." Mike answered just as quickly, scowl setting in. "I'm just loyal to innovative people."

Grisha scoffed and shook his head. "And to think I once called you a friend."

"I could say the same for you, doctor." Mike added. "How's America? Is it better than being here?"

Grisha didn't answer, but squinted his eyes behind his cracked glasses signaling that yes, yes indeed America was better than being here. Anywhere would be better than being here.

"I suppose I should keep you informed." Mike said, standing up to walk across the room. It was darkness in front of them, but Grisha heard the sound of a small chain and a click, and then harsh yellow light filled the room again. He would never become accustomed to the sight before him.

Three body trays covered in bloody tools and rotting body parts. The insulation in the room was terrible, making the smell even worse. There was a board behind the trays with notes and statistics and unsurprisingly, blood. There was dried blood on the floor as well. Worst of all, on the third tray, the one farthest to the left, was the naked, pale body of a woman; flesh opened in odd places, dried blood painting her skin.

Grisha retched, but nothing came out. He hadn't been fed since yesterday, and he wasn't given much. Dry retching was the worst, because the nauseating feeling didn't leave until the stomach had been emptied.

"Informed of what?" Grisha asked, raising his voice the best he could. Mike was staring at the body, hands casually in his pants pockets, face impassive.

"Your assistant has been killed."

Grisha felt whatever blood he had leave his face, and his lips parted to breathe harder.

"My assistant-"

"Ilse Langar was shot in the head in her apartment over the weekend. I do believe she was under your tutelage for a short two months, am I correct?"

But Grisha didn't confirm; he was too busy deep breathing, trying to calm himself down, unsuccessfully.

"Who did it?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"You know who," Mike answered, walking away from the body tray to squat in front of Grisha once more. "And he will do it again. As long as you continue to hide the code, then more people will die."

Grisha clenched his fists, which didn't help his aching wrists at all. He was finally letting his displeasure and anger seep through.

"Where is it, Grisha?" Mike asked, in a tone conveying curiosity. "Does Eren know?"

"He knows nothing!" Grisha answered, voice laced with vehemence. "I already told you that!"

"But _you_ do." Mike concluded, tilting his head towards the disturbed man. "We are prepared to go all out for this, doctor. Whatever it takes to get you to fess up, then so be it. It's a shame, really. Eren has such a bright future."

"You will not touch him!" He said, fighting at his bindings.

"That's not up to you." Mike said, standing up to walk behind Grisha towards the metal door separating him from another part of whatever building he was in. "Are you so honorable that you would give your own son's life?"

And with that, the man was gone. The loud bang of the metal door signaled that Grisha was now alone; alone to ponder that question. He already lost Carla; there was no way he could lose Eren too.

But protecting Eren would mean giving Pixis what he wants, and what he wants is not sane in the slightest. It would mean the continuation of more cruel experiments performed on innocent people. There were German families who would have no idea what happened to their loved ones. There were people who needed closure, and would not receive any. There were more people at risk of being taken and killed. That was the price of protecting his only son.

He replayed the conversation in his head. Ilse, poor Ilse. Unceremoniously brought into something that didn't involve her because of him; because he refused to give up the code.

Of course, he knew where it was, and what it was, but he didn't know what it would do. Whatever it did, _they_ needed it desperately for their experiments to result in success. Mike's words continued to echo in his mind, not in any particular order.

_'Are you so honorable that you would give your own son's life?'_

_'It's a shame, really. Eren has such a bright future.'_

_'As long as you continue to hide the code, then more people will die.'_

888

"And you're all set." Petra chirped, a bright smile on her face. "All courses that you need to complete for the rest of this school year are online, and ready for you to use."

Eren smiled brightly at the woman in front of him. Levi had told him is partner was coming to help set him up for virtual schooling, but Eren hadn't expected someone so nice and cheery. He didn't know what to expect. He guessed he was waiting for someone like Levi to come in; deep scowl, permanent eye circles, and a distant attitude.

Petra Ral was the complete opposite. She screamed enthusiasm when she smiled, and it was something that Eren was glad to see after a rough few days.

"Thank you, Miss Ral."

"Oh please," Petra said, smile never leaving. "You can just call me Petra. No one calls me Miss Ral. It makes me feel weird."

Eren laughed genuinely, and looked at the computer screen in front of him. It was Levi's laptop. Apparently the device was so _sacred_ that Levi had to give him ground rules before he left the house that morning.

_'Don't do anything else besides your school work.'_

_'I know I'll have to clean the keys later after you put your sweaty fingers on them.'_

_'If I find any porn, so help me Lucifer, I will kill you.'_

The last one left Eren blushing the color of a tomato, but thankfully Levi had said that on his way out the door. Petra had shown up an hour later. Levi had said that Petra would knock three times to signal it was her, and it was safe to open the door. Eren knew it was just a precaution, but that made it feel all the more real. He was a possible target, under someone's watchful eyes. Someone was waiting for him to slip up so they could get to him.

It was so exciting.

"Well, I have to get back to the office now." Petra said, standing up from the kitchen table and moving the chair back to its designated place. She stretched her little body with her arms to the ceiling, causing her standard office shirt to rise up in the back. Eren caught sight of a tattoo on her lower back, and as if Petra could _feel_ eyes staring at it, she shot her hands back down to fix her shirt. Eren laughed at her bashfulness when he saw a small blush touch her cheeks. It was cute.

"Senior year," She informed, shrugging on her blazer. "Bad high school decisions."

"Yeah." Eren added "I've made a few of those."

He spiked Petra's curiosity with that one, and the woman perched her bottom on the edge of the kitchen table. Thank the heavens Levi wasn't there to see it; he'd pitch a fit.

"Oh," She inquired. "Like what?"

Eren had always heard the dangers of telling someone your personal business, especially when you just met the person, but Petra radiated trustworthiness, and so he gave in.

"I smoked weed a few times." Eren said, turquoise eyes widening when he saw Petra scoff.

"Is that all you've got?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. Eren laughed again and answered.

"I've been drunk twice."

"How drunk?"

"I woke up with a bad headache."

"Anything else?"

"Me and my friends tee-peed our principles house over Christmas break."

"My friends and I, and that's still nothing."

Eren shook his head in disbelief. Petra seemed so small and innocent. What more had she done during her high school days that he hadn't?"

"Until you get _pissy_ drunk and pass out on your ex boyfriends lawn while his parents were hosting a black and white party, you haven't lived."

And that took the gold. Petra Ral, everybody. Petra Ral.

In respect, Eren started a slow clap, to which Petra laughed and tears of mirth pricked her eyes.

"I thought I was bad." Eren said, finally ending his one-man applause. Petra stood up and grabbed her phone and keys.

"I wasn't bad. I had all A's, and was on the cheerleading squad."

"And how did that go?"

"I was kicked off the squad because my ex boyfriends mom was the head coach."

Eren laughed again, standing up to walk Petra out. A part of him didn't want her to leave; her company was nice, and it was too quiet in the apartment.

"But screwing up is normal." She added, slowly walking to the door.

"Yeah" Eren nodded, knowing all too well about screwing up. "That is true."

Once Petra reached the front door, she turned around to leave some last minute tips. "If you have any questions concerning your schooling, feel free to call me. Just ask Levi for my number. Or you could ask him for help, it doesn't matter."

Eren nodded, and bit his bottom lip. There was something he wanted to ask. Something that had been gnawing on the edge of his mind since he met the man.

"Petra, what is Levi normally like?"

Petra hadn't expected that one, so her eyes widened in surprise. Eventually they went back to normal, and she answered.

"He's normally quiet, sometimes rude, but helpful, and a good leader." She said, wistfulness in her eyes. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but Levi does care about people. He just has a different way of communicating that."

"Like having a stick up his ass most of the time?"

They both laughed, and Petra nodded. "I know what you mean, Eren. When I first joined the Stohess department, I wanted to quit. Working with him was unbearable."

"So why didn't you quit?" Eren asked.

"Because my desire to help people is too strong. I've always wondered what kind of experiences would someone have to go through to be as closed off as Levi. Then I found out that he grew up in some difficult situations, and even before he became a detective, he was still going through difficult situations. Although, I don't know what they entailed."

And Eren's curiosity had been piqued. "I understand." He said, promising to find out what those 'situations' were. There had to be a legitimate reason Levi acted the way he did towards people. There had to be some answer to the unknown article behind his platinum eyes.

"But I came around, as does everyone else. And you will too, so don't stress yourself about it."

Eren forced a big smile, and waved goodbye as Petra walked down the quiet hallway to the elevator.

When he closed the door behind him, he made special effort to lock and bolt. He decided getting started on his school work would be a good way to pass time, and so he went back to the kitchen to start.

He knew that amongst the courses, pre-calculus would be the one to kick him in the ass, hard. He was never really big on math, but he did well. So far, before his life took a sharp turn a few days ago, he hated his pre-cal class, and he wasn't doing so well in there. His teacher was a royal pain, and he taught at a fast pace that even Eren couldn't keep up with.

But the work needed to get done somehow, so with curses and sighs, Eren started on his assignments for each class.

888

"What the hell is this?"

"Money." Erwin said, taking a seat across from Levi.

Levi picked up the slip of paper and looked at it, an eye twitching.

"I'm fine on my own."

"I know that." Erwin said. "But this is a check to fund your taking care of a teenager for an indefinite amount of time."

"Did this money come from your cult?" Levi asked, placing the check back on his polished wooden desk. Erwin laughed and answered.

"We're not a cult, but yes. Geheimnis voted to fund you."

"You took a vote?" Levi asked incredulously. "Aren't you like the head of it or something? You have to ask for permission?"

"I am not the head." Erwin answered. "Not yet, anyway."

"Good. Hell knows you don't need your ego boosted any bigger."

"How's Eren?" Erwin asked, ignoring Levi's insult.

"Bad table manners. The kid doesn't even know _how_ to set a table."

"Levi, I meant how _is_ he?"

Levi knew what Erwin had meant, but he just felt like telling what stuck out to him the most. "He's fine. He hasn't burst into tears and clawed at the walls yet."

"Of course he wouldn't _claw_ at the walls. He's not a dog."

"You should have seen how he was eating last night."

Erwin laughed again and watched as Levi dutifully arranged papers, the check still sitting in the middle of the desk.

"Well," He said, standing up and walking to Levi's side, much to the shorter man's displeasure. "I didn't come in here to make casual conversation."

Levi watched Erwin lean down, the man's face close enough to his to feel his breath. "Erwin."

"I'm not coming on to you." He responded with a coy smile. Levi wanted to vomit. He had better not be; those days were over.

"What are you doing?" He finally asked.

"We are going to Skype Dr. Zoe."

Levi immediately shut his mouth, and paid attention. Erwin was signing into his account, and _why_ did he have an account?

"Why do you have a Skype account?"

"So I can make money on the side by Internet whoring, Levi. Goodness, I contact associates with this." Erwin answered, disbelief in his voice.

"I would have believed the first part more. Nothing like a blond haired, blue eyed-"

"It's dialing." Erwin interrupted sternly, not wanting to continue this conversation. He cleared his throat as it chimed, and soon the screen was showing a nice hotel room background, then it was ruined by a creepy face with goggle-like glasses and brown hair.

"Errrrwin!" Hanji cooed. "So good to see you."

"Hanji." Erwin stated, smiling professionally. "How is everything?"

"Oh, Hannover is beautiful!" They chimed. "I saw the Neues Rathaus today. It was amazing. The skyline is great from the top floor view. I even got to visit the place where they make the light-up, paper mache tarantulas-"

"Hanji." Erwin interrupted. "I meant the case."

"The case? Oh, yea, that thing." Hanji deadpanned, their excitement visibly decreasing. "I have a dinner date with Pixis Friday evening."

"What?" Erwin half yelled.

"So this is the shorty, huh?" They asked, pointing a white, plastic gloved finger to Levi. Levi's scowl set in, and it probably wasn't going to go away until this call was over, and then ten minutes afterwards.

"This is detective Levi, our combat specialist." Erwin gestured a hand to Levi, who's face set in a displeased expression.

"Hiiii, Levi" They chimed. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I mean, not that _this_ is really meeting, but the era we live in depends on digital contact-"

"Hanji, please." Erwin said, and if Levi could have replayed it, it almost sounded like a whine. "Back to the case. What do you mean you're having dinner with Pixis?"

"I told you the man and I share the same interest on human innovation." They said, an excited gleam in their eyes. "Once I told him I was coming to Hannover, he insisted that we meet again. I'm so excited."

"Remember you are on a mission, Zoe." Erwin said, commanding tone setting in. "This is no time for games. Do you have any idea where Grisha is?"

And to that, Levi sat up in his chair a little more, hoping to hear some good news.

"Nope!" Hanji said. "But there was another kidnapping last night."

Erwin sighed, automatically tensing up. "Do we have any idea what they want?"

"Nope!"

"What the hell are you doing over there, Zoe?" Levi asked rudely.

"Excuse me," They said, offended. "Situations like this require delicacy."

"We don't have time for delicacy." Levi responded. "People are getting killed and a boy's father is missing."

"Oh yes, Eren Jaeger. How is he?"

"Hanji." Erwin warned.

"It's not like I can figure this out on my own in a short amount of time. Give _me_ time, Levi."

"Instead of sightseeing, shouldn't you be working?" He asked, challenging the researcher.

"Levi." Erwin interjected.

"How is he our combat specialist?" They asked, turning to Erwin, who was looking defeated. "He's so small."

"Would you like to find out, shitty glasses?" Levi said. Erwin choked, and to their surprise, Hanji laughed.

"I like him." They confirmed, a knowing smile on their face. "He has spunk."

Levi rolled his eyes at the word 'spunk.' He didn't have it, whatever it was.

"I'm glad you two get along." Erwin said, clearing his throat. "Now Hanji, this dinner date with Pixis had a lot riding on it. There are things that you are to find out as it is required, is that understood?"

"Yes sir Erwin sir." They saluted.

Erwin closed his eyes to avoid letting anyone see he rolled them, and sighed curtly. "Alright, I'm going to let you go now. I'm expecting results by Saturday morning, Zoe."

"You can count on me." They added, and then began to cackle. It was dry and menacing, and even Levi was a little frightened. The call ended abruptly, because Erwin hung up, and whistled as he moved to the other side of the desk.

"So, that was Dr. Zoe." He said.

"She's awful." Levi concluded. Erwin pursed his lips, wondering if he should correct Levi on the 'she' part, but he shook his head quickly and ignored it.

"That's them ninety-nine percent of the time."

"What's the other one percent?" Levi asked, apparently not catching the 'them.'

"Serious Hanji. I don't like serious Hanji. Serious Hanji means something is really wrong."

"She called you sir," Levi said, resuming filing paperwork, the check still left where it was. "But you said you're not the head."

Erwin smirked and turned around to walk out of Levi's open office door, hands in pockets. "I'm not. Not yet."

888

Levi was sore. It felt like his bones were aching.

He missed this.

He walked, slower than his normal pace, down the hallway to his apartment, bag with his work clothes in hand.

After work, he went to the gym. That wasn't something out of the usual, only now he would be going more frequently, and his regiment was tuned up. The regular laps, sit-ups, and push-ups weren't going to cut it. Levi had always been a fit man, but in the predicament he was faced with, he needed to work so that his body would become numb to the small stuff. He couldn't be chasing after someone and stop because he was short of breath.

Opening his apartment door, he looked both ways down the building hallway before closing the door behind him.

Something was cooking, and his stomach growled immediately. The TV was on, playing some ridiculous reality show, and Levi trudged to the kitchen.

Eren was leaning over the stove, stirring something, and his phone was in his other hand, scrolling.

"Texting and cooking don't mix."

_"Holy shit!"_

Eren turned around quickly, contents on the stirring spoon leaking off as he whirled around. His eyes were wide, and he was breathing kind of heavy.

"You scared the shit out of me, Levi." Eren concluded, quickly getting a paper towel to clean up.

"If you didn't have the TV up so goddamn loud you would have heard me come in, and watch your mouth."

Eren blinked disbelievingly at Levi. Someone with a mouth like _his_ shouldn't be telling someone else to watch their language, but he let it go.

"Sorry." he mumbled, disposing of the paper towels and resuming his work.

Levi was unfortunately suffering a temporary greediness caused by hunger, and went up to the stove to stand next to Eren and see what was being made.

"Broccoli soup?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow. Eren looked over to Levi and smiled.

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind. It's one of my favorites, and I got hungry."

Levi nodded curtly, and Eren watched him as he pulled a spoon from the silverware drawer in front of him, and moved in to sample.

The consistency was great, and it tasted good despite how hot it was. Eren looked at him expectantly, waiting for praise or ridicule. Instead, Levi turned around and placed his spoon in the sink, starting to wash other dishes.

Eren sighed out loud. Of course he would give him no compliment. He knew his broccoli soup was good. He made it for Armin and Mikasa plenty of times. Despite what a healthy eater Mikasa was, she didn't really take to broccoli. Eren told her that was blasphemy and nearly shoved a spoonful of his soup in her mouth to change her ways. It took a lot of scratches and tackling, but in the end, Mikasa had been conformed.

However, the view of Levi posted up washing dishes was, dare he say, nice. The man said he would be going to the gym after work, and with the detective in his current outfit, Eren could really see his firm, lithe body.

Levi was in a sleek, black pair of exercise shorts, leaving his calves to Eren's view. He cocked his head to the side, wondering if calves could be considered a turn on. He always liked Jean and Reiner's calves due to the fact that they played sports, but Levi's moved smoothly underneath pale muscle and released tension as he stepped down and fuck what was wrong with him?

It also didn't help that Levi was sporting a black compression shirt, showing just how toned and muscular his body was. Eren looked at his arms; triceps flexing slightly. Levi was the definition of a healthy, however old he was, man, and Eren was a little jealous.

When Levi finally left the kitchen after cleaning dishes, Eren was able to fully focus on his task at hand, and not ogle someone who was out of his league and age range, and of the same sex. A few more minutes and dinner was ready.

Eren made sure he set the table properly this time. When Levi walked in on him earlier, he hadn't been texting; he was actually looking at the diagram for a proper dinning setting.

"Soup spoon on the right, napkin on the left." He chanted. He pat himself on the back once he found it suitable; now Levi couldn't call him out on his 'horrible' dinning setup skills. It's not that he really cared; he just didn't feel like being insulted again.

He heard Levi go in the bathroom earlier, so he assumed he was taking a shower. He put the stove fire on a simmer so that the soup wouldn't burn at the bottom, and it wouldn't get cold and clumpy.

He went to the living room, and turned the TV off. Levi was right; it had been loud. Eren just wanted something to drown out the silence in the apartment. As far as he knew, the man didn't have a stereo set-up, so Eren couldn't plug his phone into anything. He settled for setting his phone on the table and letting it play music while he worked, but it wasn't the same. Headphones added the bass and sound that he liked, but unfortunately, his headphones broke a couple weeks ago.

Eren sat on the couch and patiently waited for Levi to get done showering. It felt like ages; the man was probably grooming himself, Eren thought. He liked everything neat.

Eren then noticed how tired he felt. He hadn't slept well last night, and it wasn't because of the couch. No, the couch was comfortable, and he fit on it perfectly, but it was his mind that was keeping him awake. He felt ashamed that he cried; tears never fixed anything. School work hadn't made that tiredness any better, especially pre-cal. He could already tell he was going to need Petra's help with it.

More minutes later, his stomach started growling. Deciding that Levi probably wouldn't care if he ate without him, Eren got up and went to the kitchen. He found a ladle and scooped up a generous amount of soup. He sat in the same chair as he did yesterday, and his eyes automatically wandered to look out the window. The view of the city was nice from Levi's floor. He wondered how long it would be before he could walk it again.

When Levi walked in he looked at Eren for a short moment before grabbing his bowl off the table and heading to the stove. He was actually excited about eating this soup. A long time ago, his mom used to make broccoli soup, when she had the time. She would make bread to go along with it. Granted, they never had it often. It was kind of a luxury for them.

He blinked his eyes a few times to clear his head of the memories, and put his bowl on the table. He walked back to the fridge, and opened it to figure out what he wanted to drink.

Eren, who had been eating his soup modestly, lest Levi comment again, watched as the man moved around the kitchen. He felt dumb for appreciating the view of someone doing normal daily things, but he couldn't help it. Levi was handsome.

He was wearing grey sweatpants and a loose black t-shirt. His hair was still slightly damp looking from his shower, but Eren liked it either way. His undercut was nice, and he wondered if they were back in style. Commander Smith had one, Jean, and Levi too. Eren wondered what he would look like with one, but quickly dismissed the thought when he thought of having to shave his head.

The first few minutes of eating went by in silence. Levi brought back two bottles of water for them from the fridge, and the crinkling sound of plastic was about as loud as it could get, it was so quiet. Finally, Eren couldn't take it anymore and asked.

"Do you like it?" He asked apprehensively. Levi stopped eating for a moment before speaking.

"It's good."

It wasn't really the answer Eren had wanted, but it would have to suffice. More minutes passed, and Eren spoke again.

"Well, Petra was really nice. Everything's set up for virtual school. I even got a few assignments finished today."

Levi nodded twice, slowly, but said nothing. Focusing on his food, and the outside world through the window.

"The English and science assignments were easy. Doing foreign language assignments on a computer was a little difficult though."

Levi looked up before pulling his spoon out of his mouth.

"What are you studying?"

Eren's eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe Levi was talking to him. The elder had to fight the need to roll his eyes as he waited for an answer.

"French." the teen answered with confidence. "Everybody else is doing Spanish, but I wanted something different. I mean, it is becoming a primary language here, but still."

"Hm" Levi said, a smirk threatening to touch his lips. "Qu'est ce que vous aimez à propos de français?"

Eren smiled brightly after a second of looking stunned. "Okay, I only understood 'what', 'like', and 'French.'"

"I asked what do you like about French."

The teen pondered this for a moment before answering. "Well, I suppose I just wanted to do something different, but I do like the way it sounds. It flows. It's kind of sexy, too."

Eren wanted to sink to hell for saying that last line. He _really_ hadn't meant for that to come out, and he smiled to play off the slip-up. Levi looked mildly amused, and Eren quickly asked another question.

"How long did it take you to learn French?"

"I don't know. However long it takes a child to pick up on the words they hear every day."

Eren cocked his head to the side, and his eyes gleamed with curiosity. Levi didn't know why he noticed such a small thing, but whatever. He decided to expound for Eren's sake.

"I'm French."

Eren perked up, bright smile gracing his face again. "Oh!" He said. "That's so cool. How long did you live in France? What city did you live in?"

Levi inwardly cringed at all the questions about his life. They were innocent though, and he could answer them without really having to explain anything about himself, hopefully.

"Calais." He answered, voice low. "It sits on the coast, right on the English channel. I lived there until I was twenty two."

"Wow!" Eren said. "Why'd you leave? Wait…how old are you?"

Levi bit the inside of his cheek, hoping his mind would provide him with a good enough answer so that he wouldn't have to tell the truth. Unfortunately, his mind wasn't working fast enough from being put on spot so quickly, and Eren noticed this.

"It's okay." He said, smile fading somewhat. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to. How long did it take you to learn English?"

"Years. I learned it along with my native language in school, and I'm twenty seven."

"Oh yeah." Eren said, silently disappointed with the age gap for reasons unknown to him, lifting his spoon and twirling it. "Other countries have their students learn English along with their language as well. I remember my dad said…" He broke off for a moment at the thought of his dad, and then continued. "He said that it was hard for him to learn English. There were so many rules and exceptions; it didn't make sense to him."

"Do you speak any German?" Levi asked, getting ready to lick the bowl clean. Okay, not really. That's gross.

"Fliebend."

Levi cocked an eyebrow. Eren laughed.

"I said fluently. My dad has been teaching me since I was little. I plan to go to Germany one day, probably to Hannover just to see the city where he grew up."

Levi nodded, and listened as Eren continued to talk about places he wanted to visit. He found his bilingual status impressive and his slight wanderlust…endearing.

Levi found himself enjoying the simple conversation more than expected. It had been a while since he sat down and got to know someone. The few people in his life had been around for a while, and the only person he talked to consistently was Erwin, but there was nothing left to learn about the blond man.

"Have you ever wanted to go back to France?" Eren asked, ending his dialogue to include the older man. "Back to the place where you grew up?"

Levi tensed for a moment, and relaxed. His eyes finally broke away from Eren's, much to the teen's confusion, and looked out the window.

Had he ever wanted to go back? The answer was hell no. Not just no; hell no. He never wanted to see Calais again, really. When he left he silently vowed to never go there again.

"No." Levi answered, standing up and taking his bowl and spoon to the sink to be washed. Eren watched him go with sad eyes.

_'Fuck'_ Eren thought, mentally chiding himself. Levi's life was a touchy subject for him, he could see. Petra had told him that Levi had been through some difficult situations. Eren suddenly wondered what his childhood was like. What happened to his parents? Were they alive or…did he have siblings?

These were things that he would probably never know the answer to, so Eren reluctantly stood up and took his bowl and spoon to the sink. He knew Levi wouldn't let him wash them, so he went to the stove and looked at the medium sized pot of broccoli soup. He turned the fire off, and spoke.

"Um, Levi. Where do you keep your tupperware?"

Said man spoke over his shoulder. "In the cabinet next to the plates."

Eren grabbed a container big enough to hold the rest of the soup comfortably, and placed it in the fridge. The awkward silence was back, and Eren wasn't enjoying it. So, he went back to the living room.

When Levi finished cleaning up the kitchen, he let out a sigh. He hadn't meant to 'turn Eren off' per say; he just didn't know how to respond. This was exactly why he didn't make conversation with people often. It's not that he wasn't good with words, but people would ask things that required him rendering information about himself and his life, and Levi didn't like that. He supposed if things had been different, he could be narcissistic like the rest of the world too.

Both males didn't speak to each other for the rest of the night. Levi went back to his room and stayed there, making Eren think he pissed the man off somehow. He wasn't sure; Levi always wore the same expression, but his vibe felt different at times.

More uncomfortable dreams flooded Eren's mind that night. Visions of the past, thoughts of the present revealed themselves in demented graphics, making his night on the couch another sleepless one.


	6. Chapter 6

Tuesday…

Another punch to the face sent Grisha's mind reeling. His whole face hurt from being punched so much; his voice was barely audible as he begged for mercy.

"Please," the man cried, voice fading as soon as he spoke. "Stop."

"Resorting to begging now, Jaeger." The abuser said, rubbing the knuckles on his right hand. "So unlike you."

Another punch and his mouth was bleeding. Whether it was from a cut lip or tongue, he didn't know. This had been going on for five minutes. Nile wasn't even questioning him anymore as much as he was insulting and abusing him.

"Where is the code, Grisha?" Nile asked, annoyed.

Grisha looked at the man through his fading vision and studied him. Nile had the same hair, same uppity expression on his face, same condescending tone as he did in college.

"Keep it up." Nile said, done rubbing his sore knuckles. He spat on the ground near Grisha's bound and dead feet. "You keep this up and you know what happens."

"He won't touch him." Grisha said tiredly.

Nile looked at Grisha with squinted eyes, as if he was looking at someone he thought he recognized but wasn't quite sure.

"Grisha." He said, lowering to squat in front of the man. "You are a very smart man. You always have been. So, I'm a little confused as to why you think we won't hurt Eren. Whatever respect boss had for you back then is gone now. All he wants is the code; he doesn't care if you're on our side or not."

"He won't," Grisha started, then broke off to cough, blood splattering out of his mouth from his wound. "touch him."

It happened so fast it was almost impressive. Nile hit Grisha one last good time in the nose, enjoying the way he heard the familiar sound of crunching underneath his fist. Grisha yelled, nose burning and limp feeling. It was broken; he was sure of it.

"Eren's next." Nile said, standing up to leave the room.

The metal door made its all too familiar slamming sound as it closed, and Grisha was left gasping and desperately needing medical attention. His heart was racing from Nile's words.

_'Eren's next.'_

"No." Grisha said through clenched teeth, eyes watering behind cracked glasses. "Eren, no."

888

"Eren, no."

"But I don't want to get fat." Eren argued, earning an annoyed sound from the older man.

It was Tuesday, and it was a rare day off for Levi. Only he wouldn't consider it a day off since his current case resulted in 24/7 attention to a teenager. He was currently dusting the living room; not that it was filthy, but cleaning soothed him. Eren was annoyingly hovering over him, bothering him.

"No."

"Levi, sir, please." Eren said, voice getting higher. "It's safe right? It's just the gym. I can wear a hat for disguise. Something, anything. I just want to get out of the apartment for a while."

"What part of 'you're under surveillance' do you not understand?" Levi asked, dusting the stand on which the television set.

"No," Eren argued. "I'm possibly under surveillance. There's no proof anyone wants me."

This had been going on for a few minutes, and Levi was clenching his jaw to refrain from yelling at the boy. After yesterday's awkward and less than pleasing end to dinner, Levi woke up and vowed to _attempt_ to be a little bit more…what's the word? Nice? Hell, he didn't know. Erwin had given him direct orders to make Jaeger's life as shit-free as possible. There wasn't much he could to for him. The boy was seventeen, stubborn, and had probably already made up in his mind whether he wanted his stay at Levi's to be shit free or not.

Levi's back had been facing the teen while he dusted the stand. He turned around and glared, hoping to get across his seriousness with his eyes.

Eren gulped. The man's scrutinizing expression would never cease to make his heart speed up a little, but he didn't break eye contact. All he wanted was to get out of the apartment. He wasn't some health nut, but he did occasionally run with Jean, Armin, and Connie. Armin and Connie weren't athletic, and neither was he, but Jean was. Track had done his body good.

Eren broke his gaze away from Levi's, wondering why he would think about Jean or anything related to his body at a time like this.

Levi watched as the teen bit his bottom lip and stared at the ground, hands in his red hoodie pocket. He was wearing dark blue jeans and white socks. He obviously hadn't done anything about his bed head, since his hair was sticking up carelessly. It looked just as it had when he and Erwin went to break the news to the boy.

With a sigh of reluctance (he seemed to be doing that a lot these days), he spoke.

"I'll think about it."

Just then, Eren's eyes shot up to meet his again, and Levi wanted to cringe because the happy look in Eren's eyes made him feel accomplished for some reason and he hated that.

"Thanks, Levi."

Levi nodded curtly, then left the living room. Eren currently had his laptop on the couch, working on his school assignments. Levi went into the kitchen and rolled the blinds to the single window in the area up to clean the glass.

He briefly wondered how Eren was taking being away from his friends. Levi didn't know anything of the sort; he'd love to get away from Erwin for a _long_ time. A part of him, a very small part, pitied the boy. He knew Eren wasn't one to want pity, but still. He had been thrust into a very delicate situation, and delicate situations and raging bulls didn't sit well.

He tried to break his thoughts away from the teen currently in his living room and just focus on the window. He had special rags he sprayed the solution on to clean the glass, and he slowly worked from bottom to top while cleaning it. He made note not to leave any streaks; he hated those. The sun was rising high in the sky signaling it was the afternoon; the rays were playing on Levi's hand as he moved his arm up and down.

"Hey, Levi."

Levi didn't turn around, but craned his neck to the side to indicate he was listening.

Eren spoke from the entrance of the kitchen, nervous to ask this question, but he needed assistance. "Do you think you could help me with my pre-cal work?"

Levi straightened his neck and resumed cleaning. "I don't know anything about that."

"You didn't take it in college?" Eren asked, curious.

Levi's arm slowed down the pace in which it was working.

"I didn't take college." Levi said, walking away from the window, rags in hand. He set the solution on the counter next to the sink, and turned around to face Eren; leaning back on the rim of the counter with his hands crossed over his chest.

Eren had previously deduced that Levi's life was not a topic of conversation, but he wanted to know why. Yesterday already proved that there were things about the man that were off limits, but Eren had a hard time remembering the meaning of the word _'restraint.'_

"Don't you have to go to college to get a degree in criminal justice to become a detective?" He asked, not knowing what he was getting himself into.

Levi tilted his head sideways, an amused smile threatening to touch his lips.

"Je suis différent."

Eren's eyes widened, and Levi could practically see the gears turning in the boy's head; trying to translate what he said.

"I am different?" He asked, after a moment's time.

"You don't suck after all." Levi said.

"I never did to begin with." Eren argued, a playful smile on his face, but he quickly cleared his throat and spoke again. "Well, Petra said that if I needed help, I could call her."

Levi nodded, already understanding what that meant. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Petra.

"Yes sir?" A peppy voice on the other end spoke.

"Jaeger needs your help." And with that, Levi handed his phone to Eren. He picked up his cleaning supplies, and headed down the hall to the bathroom.

888

It was another two hours before Levi was satisfied with all the cleaning he had done, and Eren was done with all his assignments; pre-cal had taken the longest.

Eren was right. It was a pain in the ass, but Petra had knowledge of the subject, and helped Eren immensely. He thanked her ten times over for spending two hours of her day on the phone with him, and she laughed and said that it was no problem.

Once he logged off the man's laptop (Levi created Eren a user), he found himself flipping through channels, trying to find something worth watching during daytime television. A Tom and Jerry marathon was ensuing, and he couldn't have been happier.

"How fucking old are you again?" Levi asked, a half-assed attempt to insult, to which Eren laughed.

"You're never too old for cartoons." He answered, eyes falling on Levi.

He walked into the living room, eyes set on his phone and laptop. Eren watched the way he moved smoothly in his jeans and dark red t-shirt; the shirt brought out the odd color of his eyes, and oh fuck he was staring again.

Eren quickly looked back to the screen, hoping Levi didn't see him ogling, and proceeded to focus on cartoons, or at least pretend he was.

He didn't know what he was doing, really. He was sure that living with Levi would be hell, but it had turned out to be the opposite. Sure, the man was closed off and reserved, but was alright. It was better than what he expected, so he couldn't complain.

He wouldn't lie though. He knew his eyes were lingering on the man longer than they should be. His mind asking questions about that man that it shouldn't be. His smile becoming a little too bright when Levi occasionally insulted him.

He replayed the conversation from earlier. Eren was learning new things about Levi every day. He was twenty seven, French, lived in Calais, moved to America when he was twenty two, a detective without a college degree, and a neat freak.

_That_ was better than nothing.

But there was more Eren wanted to know. Favorite color, movie, song, shit like that. He figured if he asked the man to play a game of twenty questions, it would result in him receiving another brooding look.

"I haven't seen this show in a long time." Levi broke the silence, surprising Eren.

The older man watched as those green eyes looked to his, and they were smiling. Really? _Why the fuck did he notice that?_

"Feeling nostalgic, old man?"

Eren laughed out loud, and then quickly stopped, as if he couldn't believe that came out of his mouth.

"Levi, I'm sorry. It was meant to be a joke, but you probably didn't find it funny. You're not old, but sometimes you seem older than what you are. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just…"

"Vous parlez trop" Levi interrupted with a small sigh, turning his eyes to face the screen again.

Eren stopped apologizing, and just looked. His gears were turning again, trying to translate.

"I talk too much?" He asked, to which Levi nodded, and Eren huffed.

"Sorry. I'll shut up now."

Eren briefly wondered how long it would take for him to stop embarrassing himself in front of Levi. No matter how welcomed he felt, he knew that Levi didn't want him here. Eren was just a part of the case he was assigned, and as soon as it was over, he would leave.

888

By the time evening was rolling around, Levi sighed audibly and thought.

He hadn't gone to the gym at all today, and sat on the couch for the majority of it.

No, it had nothing to do with the fact that watching TV with Eren was nice. It had nothing to do with the way the teen would make comments about whatever it was he watched, to no one particular. It sure as hell had nothing to do with the way those turquoise eyes lit up when their owner found something funny. No, fuck _all_ of that.

But he stayed home anyway, finding that he hadn't had time to just sit and relax, or as relaxed as he could get anyway, in a long time, and mindlessly watch TV for hours upon hours, and not even notice how much time had been wasted.

His stomach protested. He only had a light breakfast, and skipped lunch to clean. He should probably feed Eren too. Teenagers had faster metabolisms or something like that, right?

"What do you want for dinner?" Levi asked, his eyes still on the screen.

"Hmm" Eren hummed. "I don't know. What do you want?"

Levi sighed again, and spoke. "I don't care. That's why I'm asking you."

"Hmm," Eren hummed again. "It doesn't matter to me."

Levi squinted his eyes, then turned them in Eren's direction. The teen wasn't even paying full attention to him as much as he was his phone and the TV. He sat kriss-kross on the couch, tapping away at his screen while occasionally looking up to watch Tom chase Jerry.

"Liver it is." Levi said. Eren snapped his head up, and spoke, a little louder than necessary.

"Liver? You eat that stuff?" He asked, his nose crinkling. Levi wanted to vomit because he found it cute.

"It's iron rich." Levi reasoned, voice laced with amusement.

"But I don't want liver, Levi." Eren whined, to which Levi huffed.

"Then you'd better pick something." Levi said, and then he saw Eren actually trying to focus instead of half-assing his answer.

"Chinese? Is that okay?"

Levi nodded, and pulled out his phone. He had a phonebook app installed there. "Where do you normally order from?"

Eren smiled. "Yums. I love that place."

Levi found the number and dialed it, handing the phone to Eren. The teen was surprised when it was thrust in his direction, and Levi spoke.

"It's a goddamn phone, Eren, stop looking at it like that."

Eren took the phone and watched Levi stood up to walk to the kitchen, and he was about to ask Levi if he wanted anything when someone picked up.

"Yums. What's your order?"

Eren squinted his eyes as he spoke and ordered his food. The woman's thick Chinese accent was hard to understand, so he ended up talking slower than usual.

_"Is that all?"_

Eren tilted his head, trying to understand what the lady said. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

The lady sighed, much to Eren's displeasure, and spoke again. _"Is that all, sir?"_

"Oh, is that all? Um, hold on, please."

Eren quickly skittered to the kitchen to whisper harshly to Levi, who was standing over the sink.

"Did you want anything?"

Levi turned around, a ghost of a smile on his face and shook his head before turning back around.

"Yes ma'am, that is all."

Levi heard parting words as he continued to clean the lettuce he was currently occupied with, then footsteps behind him.

"How much?"

"I don't know. I feel like she said eight dollars and fifty cents. But it sounded something like 'cape daughters' and 'pity rent.'"

And to both their surprise, and Eren's pleasure, Levi laughed. It was short; only a second, but it was definitely heard. Eren jolted, straining his stance as he realized that he had never heard that before. It was deep, like his voice; warming.

He smiled brightly, knowing that Levi's back was turned to him so he couldn't see, and placed his phone back on the counter.

"Thank you, Levi." Eren said, as he left the kitchen.

Levi hummed, and continued to wash the lettuce; neither one of them fully aware what the other was thanking and welcoming the other for.

888

Eren's food turned out to be ten dollars and forty nine cents.

Levi squinted his eyes, not liking the odd price. How Eren managed to get eight and ten mixed up, he didn't know. And forty nine cents?

"You eat like a pig." Levi declared, as he turned around and closed the apartment door with his foot, Eren's food in hand. "Maybe you do need to go to the gym. Because who eats ten dollars of Chinese takeout by themselves?"

"I do," Eren declared from the kitchen table, cell phone in hand. "And it _was_ eight dollars, but I ordered some fried wantons for us both."

Levi cocked an eyebrow. He had specifically said he didn't want any, but whatever.

Levi decided to take the healthier option out and make a salad. It was already sitting on the kitchen table, across from the grease-stained Chinese take-out boxes.

Eren smiled as he dug into his food and mixed it around with chop sticks. It was two small cartons of honey chicken and sweet and sour chicken, and fried rice in another. He looked up from his meal of slaughter to Levi's salad, and spoke.

"What kind of salad is that?"

"Spinach, quinoa, grapefruit, and avocado salad."

Eren crinkled his nose again, and Levi spoke once more. "Don't judge me. Unlike you, I want to live a long life."

Eren laughed and took out a greasy white bag from the take-out box, and pulled out a fried wanton.

"Have one." He said, handing the bag to Levi as he took a bite out of his own.

Levi took the bag and looked inside, shaking his head. He hadn't had wantons in so long, and considering that he was back on a strict work out regiment and diet, it needed to stay that way.

But somehow, because the universe hated him, he ended up eating four of them, and ignoring most of his salad. Eren, to his surprise, didn't make a sly comment on the man's choice of food. Only gratuitous conversation and occasional glances out the window, the sun lowering on the horizon, and traffic lights building up from people leaving their nine-to-five's.

He hoped Eren didn't see him looking at him when he was looking out of the window. When the teen turned his head to the side, Levi took him in. He tried to make as limited eye contact and stares with him as possible, so he was confused as to why he was doing it now. He had a theory as to why he repeatedly looked at the boy, then glanced away as Eren turned forward again. But the theory was impossible. It had to be.

But damn, if the deep sun rays through the window didn't look nice on Jaeger's cheeks, then Levi didn't know. The boy had a healthy heir of youth around him. His eyes were playful, as was his smile, but Levi had seen Eren when he was sad. The first night he met him, Eren's eyes were void of that playfulness, and his smile hadn't been present either.

His jaw line was fine, but set, nicely so; his eyes flickering back and forth while they gazed at nothing in particular out of the freshly cleaned aperture.

As if they had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Levi observed faint-but-there circles under Eren's eyes. His own squinted for the countless time that day, and he spoke.

"How's the couch working for you?"

Eren quickly turned his head toward Levi, noticing how the man's expression demanded a truthful answer. He put on a smile and spoke.

"It's comfortable, really. It's just…"

He broke off, because he didn't want to tell Levi the truth. He didn't want to lie; he'd just rather not speak of it at all.

"Bad dreams?" Levi asked, although it sounded more like a declaration than a question. He looked up, and Eren nodded.

"It's nothing, really." Eren said, eyes flickering towards his food; most of it was gone.

Levi wanted to say that it wasn't 'nothing', but he didn't. Instead, he looked at barely picked-at plate of salad.

Eren watched as Levi walked away, finding a container to put the rest of the salad in, and placing it in the fridge. He watched as Levi's arms moved slightly while washing dishes. He watched Levi dry the counter off. He watched as Levi walked past the table that he was still occupying, not looking at him. He listened as he heard Levi's bedroom door close. He felt his throat tighten for reasons unknown to him.

He felt a weight settle on his chest while he lay on the couch at night, dissatisfied that another dinner had ended ineptly between the two.


	7. Chapter 7

Wednesday…

Eren didn't know what it was about Wednesdays, but they were the longest days of the week.

It was that odd transition between 'Oh, the week's just started' to 'Oh, the weekend's almost here.'

When he was still in school, Wednesdays were also dull. Armin had chess practice on Wednesdays after school, and Mikasa chose Wednesdays to complete house chores since her uncle did _so_ much cleaning. Kenny didn't care about upkeep, and Mikasa wasn't a religious cleaner, but sometimes the dirt had to go.

Either way, that left Eren alone on Wednesdays. He'd go home, do homework (never entertaining), watch TV (nothing worth watching on Wednesdays), and share a brief, commonplace conversation with his father as soon as he came home from work.

Sometimes, he and Grisha ate together at the dining table. It was always quiet, but the awkwardness of the silence and occasional clang of silverware against ceramic long since waned in Eren's mind. It had become a standard, day-to-day cycle with his dad. Grisha wasn't a man of many words, and the few he spoke were always on the same topic.

'_Eren, how are your grades?'_

'_Have you started thinking about colleges you want to apply to?'_

'_You should go on that student medical tour next week.'_

'_Eren, did you clean your room?'_

'_How is Jean doing? Does he still run track? He's pretty fast.'_

'_Are Armin and Mikasa alright?'_

Eren had long-since learned that these questions were asked because they required curt answers, just as curt as the question themselves. It was a simple 'yes' or 'no' and sometimes a few more words than that.

As Eren sat on Levi's couch, staring without focus on the computer screen full of assignments to complete, he thought over these things. It was Wednesday, and two more days would make a whole week that his father's been missing.

He wasn't sure if he was reminiscing because he missed his father, or he was worried he'd never get to share those customary conversations with him ever again.

It felt like hours since Levi left for work, but it had only been one. The man was his usual self that morning, despite the second delicate ending to their dinner the night before. He left with his usual quick parting words, and Eren felt like he had been staring at the computer screen ever since the apartment door closed.

He rubbed his eyes, and stood up to stretch. His white t-shirt came up a bit, exposing cold air to his lower abdomen. Eren looked down and lifted his shirt up a bit more; his stomach was still right, but that didn't mean it would stay that way.

Levi didn't have junk food around the apartment, so Eren's usual food intake was a well balanced meal.

He assumed Levi's ultimate answer to taking Eren to the gym with him was a big fat 'no' since he didn't mention it again.

Eren supposed he could do a few sit-ups from time to time. Those helped clear his mind, kill time, and forego his little pudge.

He plopped back on the couch and looked at the computer screen, seeing it had finally fallen asleep. There was a hypnotizing sway of broken, colored lines racing across the screen in every direction; one of those cool screen savers.

Just then, his cell phone chimed, and he picked it up quickly to see who it was. He expected it to be Levi, since that was virtually the only person he was allowed to talk to. Armin and Mikasa also, but limited contact. Eren was surprised by the name on the screen.

'_Con-Bon'_

It was Connie.

Eren quickly tapped on the messenger icon on the home screen and pulled up the text message.

**Con-Bon (10:40 am):** _'Hey man, what's up! Mikasa and Arm told us that you were out of the country with some distant family of your dads'. I know you're going through a rough time, but that doesn't mean you have to cut us off. We're all worried about you. Jean is practically shitting his pants with no one to insult. Speaking of Jeannyboy, him and Marco just started dating yesterday. It's so weird. I mean, like, we all knew it was coming, but still…it's gonna take me a while to get used to it. I totally get it if you don't reply, but I really hope you know we all miss you and are wishing for the best.'_

Eren read the message over and over again, making sure he didn't miss a single thing. His fingers itched to reply.

He wished he could tell Connie he was alright, and that the investigation was still going full force. He wished he could send his best-of-luck words to Marco for dealing with Jean. He wished he could crack a joke at Jean just one more time. He really wished he wasn't in this predicament.

Eren sighed and slowly placed the phone back down on the couch next to him.

He couldn't.

He missed his friends, his school, even his shitty pre-cal teacher. However, the situation he was in could possibly endanger him and the people around him as well. Even if it was something as small as a text message, he wouldn't risk it.

He decided the best way to avoid replying to Connie's message was to actually start on those assignments he'd been staring at for an hour. He sighed, doing just that.

888

Levi wouldn't consider himself a generous man.

He used to do what he wanted, not caring if his actions benefited or hurt anyone else in the process. Sentiments of that sort weren't convenient anyway.

Now that he was living a different life, he had people to protect, feelings to consider. Trust was essential in his line of work, and maybe that was one of the many reasons he had such a hard time adjusting to everyone that wasn't Erwin.

He got over it though. He found that he even enjoyed his co-workers sometimes, despite their antics.

They wouldn't call him generous either, but they would if they saw what he was toting in his left hand.

The bag rustled slightly as he walked down the hall to his apartment. He skipped the gym _again_ for this, and Eren better appreciate it. Levi finally decided to put that 'care-check' from Geheimnis to use.

He started unlocking the door, and pushed it open when he felt the lock give way. Checking both ways down the hall, he closed the door.

"Levi?"

Levi walked towards the direction of Eren's voice.

Eren was sitting on the ground leaning against the couch. The TV remote was laying limp in his hand, while a half-eaten granola bar was in the other. His hair was messy, and his eyes looked glassy and wide, probably from staring at the television all day.

Levi inwardly laughed. This _gift_ wasn't about to help that either.

"You look bad." Levi stated bluntly, well aware by now that the teen wouldn't take it to heart.

He walked further in the living room, setting the bag down near Eren's sprawled legs.

"Food?" Eren inquired, to which Levi scoffed.

"Look inside and see." He said, stepping over Eren to take a seat on the couch.

Levi had given gifts before; only for holidays or birthdays though. Whenever he did give something, it wasn't half assed. Erwin wasn't a complicated man to shop for, at least not for Levi. They'd known each other too long to know what shit the other liked.

Petra was a little bit more complicated, as shopping for women always was. However, over time Levi learned that she loved fancy cards and small bags of candy. Of course he'd bother to get her something more than that, but whatever she received was accompanied by a limited edition Hallmark card and Hershey's kisses.

Eren would be a new experience. He had never bought the teen anything other than food, and most people tended to not complain about that. He didn't seem like he'd be hard to please, and this gift was a surefire…

"Shit!"

Levi allowed himself to smirk at Eren's reaction.

Eren quickly tossed the large plastic bag aside and cradled the box in his arms as if the gift was near and dear to his heart. Levi wasn't even sure why he was concerned with whether Eren would like it or not. What teenage boy could resist a…

"Xbox! Wha- Levi, what's this for?"

Eren turned his body around as far as he could since he was facing the opposite direction, the box still in his arms. His eyes were wide with surprise, and Levi felt a sense of victory.

"I figured you could use something to pass the time besides work and television."

Eren smiled but spoke quickly. "But this is an Xbox One! Do you know how much these cost?"

"Four hundred." Levi answered calmly. "Plus the game made the total four hundred fifty."

"What game?" Eren asked, looking at the box. As soon as he said it, his hands felt the underside of the box. There was something taped on that side.

He turned it over quickly to find the new love of his life staring back at him.

"Titanfall!"

Levi smirked again. He literally had no idea what the game was about, it just sounded like something Eren might want to play. When he asked the salesperson for suggestions of what games to buy, he swore he stood there for ten minutes while the pimply-faced man spouted on and on about games and which ones have the more thrilling experience.

Either way, Levi settled with one game so far. Eren still had school work to focus on.

"Why would you spend so much money on me?" Eren asked, eyes still on the box while his hands worked the tape off, freeing the game from its confines.

"Well it's not my money I spent." Levi said, standing up to step over Eren and head towards the kitchen.

Eren ceased his worship of the new toy in his hands and looked up at Levi who was walking away.

"Who's was it then?" Eren asked, genuinely curious.

Levi didn't answer; he only continued to walk towards the kitchen. The whole time the teen was unaware of the smile on Levi's face.

888

_His whole body was hurting, if that was a way to describe the level of pain._

_When Eren opened his eyes, he found that he was lying on a table, unable to move. He assumed he was restrained somehow._

_A sound in the distance rang through the darkness around him, and footsteps were approaching him._

_A figure was walking towards the table, but Eren could only see a silhouette. It was only when the figure was right beside the table that Eren recognized the face._

_It was Grisha; it was his father. Eren felt a huge sense of relief wash over him, and he opened his mouth to call out to him._

_His voice was absent. The feeling of relief that quickly washed in was being pushed back out. He tried to make noise, but he couldn't. It was like something was weighing him down and prohibiting him from speaking._

_Grisha stared down at him with blank eyes, his face void of any emotion._

_Eren was thoroughly confused. Wasn't he happy to see him? _

_Grisha lifted a hand, and Eren saw that it was covered by a cream colored glove decorated with specks of blood._

_Eren's eyes widen as Grisha moved the hand closer and closer to him._

_The air around them felt heavy, and Eren was struggling against his restraints as he tried to show his displeasure through action. Yet, Grisha's hand never stopped coming towards him. His father's voice cut through the weighted air with a distorted quality that made Eren's movements freeze._

"_I'm sorry. It's the only way."_

_Eren shook his head rapidly from side to side as the cold gloved hand pressed against this throat. His father was choking him._

_Eren felt his body thrash to the best of its' ability, but nothing could distract Grisha._

_What was the only way? What was his dad apologizing for? Choking him?_

_He could feel the air leaving his body, and the edges of his vision blackening, just as it did when he was knocked out in his own home._

_Then there was more pain. Grisha squeezed his hand harder around Eren's neck, only one goal in mind. When Eren blinked and opened his eyes again, he saw that Grisha's face was slowly changing, morphing into something more anamorphic and unreal._

_His vision was fading, his body stilling, his lungs burning. His body gave up, and his eyes slowly closed. The last thing he saw was the fading image of a key…_

Eren sat up quickly, immediately reaching his sweaty hands to his neck.

No bloody gloved hand there.

He gasped quickly. His lungs welcomed the air, and he quickly wondered if he stopped breathing in real life as he had in his dream.

Eren threw the blanket off his body; it was too hot. He swung his legs over the couch, sitting upright. When he pushed up to stand, he felt his legs wobble slightly before he could stand properly.

That wasn't a dream; that was the definition of a nightmare. Eren made his way through the darkness of the living room, suddenly aware of its presence and not liking it.

He was moving down the hall quickly, feeling as though something was behind him. He didn't even pay attention to the light underneath the bathroom door signaling that it was already occupied.

He pushed the door open quickly, only realizing his mistake when the steamy heat of the bathroom and the sight of a naked man shook him from his previous worries. No, he had something else to worry about now.

Levi had just been stepping out of the shower when Eren barged in, looking disheveled and sweaty. He hadn't even had time to reach for his towel before the door was thrown open.

They both stood still like a deer caught in headlights before Levi interrupted the moment by frantically reaching an arm towards his towel to cover up.

"Eren, what's…"

"Sorry!" Eren yelled, not even bothering to explain himself. He turned around and slammed the door behind him, heading towards the living room.

He flipped the light switch, realizing that he still didn't want to be surrounded by darkness. He sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh and buried his face in his hands.

First, that confusing and frightening dream, then naked Levi.

Once Eren's heart rate receded to normal again, he played things over.

He was going to splash some cold water on his face to relieve the heat the dream brought. He wasn't paying any attention to the bathroom light being on. He barged right in and most likely pissed Levi off because the man was naked!

He'd seen Armin partially nude or just getting out of the shower plenty of times. That brought along no awkwardness. He remembered one time he walked in on Mikasa changing, and she yelled at him for not knocking.

Hell, he's watched porn before!

But Armin and Mikasa were long term friends, and porn featured people he never knew, never would know, and vice versa.

So the sight of a nude, wet Levi should bring embarrassment, right?

Eren's cheeks were hot, and he quickly got up from the couch to run to the kitchen.

The moonlight streaming through the single window in the kitchen provided enough light for Eren to get to the sink and splash cold water on his face, this time for a completely different reason than he originally planned.

The water was still running as Eren placed his hands on the counter on either side of the sink. His face dripped water droplets on the ground as he hung his head and breathed deeply.

Would there ever come a day where things weren't awkward between them?

Despite the unpleasant endings to dinner and weird looks Levi would give him when he got nervous over nothing, today had been different. Once Levi brought home the Xbox, he cooked dinner and, much to Eren's surprise, brought it in the living room while Eren set up things on the consol.

Levi made snide comments as Eren began playing Titanfall, and the rest of the evening was filled with curses and laughter. Eventually, Eren got so sick of Levi talking shit that he gave Levi the controller and told the man to prove himself.

And prove himself he did.

If Eren weren't so shocked, he would have laughed at the sight of Levi sitting on the ground, legs crossed underneath him, back straight as he fully focused on the screen in front of him. Turns out, Levi is some kind of god with video games. Levi even graced him with a brief story of how Erwin owns Bioshock for his Xbox. The two play multiplayer and every time, Levi does significantly better than Erwin.

Eren enjoyed the conversation, and even though he didn't enjoy being showed up, he'd let his pride suffer for one night if it meant bonding with Levi.

Now, those feelings were gone.

It wasn't like he walked in on him on purpose, no. But Eren was more afraid of the heat that wouldn't leave his cheeks every time the image flashed in his mind. And it wasn't in embarrassment.

He figured out a while ago that he found Levi attractive, but that didn't mean anything. He found plenty of people attractive.

Eren suddenly wondered if his drive to learn more about Levi had anything to do with finding him attractive.

That made the _'incident'_ scarier. He shouldn't be thinking of Levi in that way. The man was assigned to protect him and that's all. As soon as this case came to a close, no matter the conclusion, Eren would be out of his hair.

He told himself that it was teenage hormones and nothing else. That's why he couldn't stop thinking about it. Yes, that was it. That's why he couldn't stop picturing Levi's lean, muscular body, wet and clean stepping out of the shower. Eren was sure his eyes traveled further down in the moment of shock they both experienced. From what he glimpsed, Levi was…gifted.

Yes, hormones. That's exactly what it was. The body was just voicing its desire to release.

That's what Eren told himself as he lay back down on the couch. The nightmare forgotten, he turned all the lights off as he tried to force his eyes close and will his body to sleep.

Hormones, it was. That's what kept making him envision Levi's body in such a manner.

It was the hormones, I tell you. They were what caused the annoying feeling between Eren's legs.

It was his willpower that allowed him to keep his hands away.

888

Thursday…

Levi had not slept well that night.

And his morning news didn't help the grogginess that always appeared after a night of poor rest.

Nanaba.

Petra called him early that morning, five to be exact. Her tone of voice was the same when they discovered Ilse Langar had been shot.

Levi stumbled around in the semi darkness of his room to find jeans and a shirt. He needed to get to the scene as soon as possible. The peeking rays of the rising sun danced on his skin as he moved about, hectically shrugging on his clothes. The rising of the sun normally meant a new day; another day which people get to wake up and live their lives.

He tried not to think about how that was no longer the case for Nanaba.

He grabbed his black coat and hid his gun where he always did; at the hip and covered. He grabbed his keys and wallet before quietly exiting his room, so he wouldn't disturb Eren. He doubted the young man wanted to talk to him anyway.

He would shoot Eren a text message later of his whereabouts. He was sure the news would worry the teen even more, but he had every right to know what was going on.

He stopped and took a look at the slumbering mess on his couch. Eren looked peaceful.

Levi quickly turned away and exited the apartment, making sure the door was locked behind him.

He left the building quickly, knowing that the traffic wouldn't be as hectic this early, but he still wanted to get to the scene of the crime _pronto_.

The roads were empty save for a few vehicles here and there. He remembered the address Petra nervously chirped in his ear over the phone, and it wasn't hard for him to remember because he knew exactly where it was.

He didn't turn on the radio, and he didn't put in a CD. He rode in silence as he wondered how much more blood would be shed before something gave way.

He saw the unevenly parked cars in front of the complex. There were two police cars, and the cars of nosy bystanders. There was a crowd; probably from the people living in the building.

He parked a few feet away from the rest so he could leave easily when it was time. He got out and walked with purpose to where a tall man with blond hair was standing.

Erwin was talking to one of the cops, a small amount of stubble on his face. If there weren't more pressing matters to attend to, Levi might have made a comment, but now was not the time. He looked forward to where a crime scene photographer was doing his job. There was a noticeable dried pool of blood on the ground, but no body.

"The ambulance came thirty minutes ago." Erwin said.

Levi turned his head back to Erwin, seeing that there was no longer a cop talking to him. There was this look in Erwin's eyes that said everything Levi was thinking. It said _'how many more before we find who is behind this?'_

"Follow me." Erwin said, walking in a direction towards an empty patch of street. Levi looked around and saw that Petra and Gunther were talking to people that lived in the apartment, notebook in hand, writing things down.

Levi turned around and followed Erwin. He supposed the man wanted to talk where no one could overhear them, but they'd still be able to see what's going on.

"Hanji contacted me last night." Erwin said, sighing and placing his hands on his hips. He seemed more agitated than usual today, and Levi didn't like it.

"What happened?" Levi asked.

"Someone else in Hannover was kidnapped."

Levi sighed and fought the need to slam his hands against the brick wall of the building next to them. This was going down, fast.

"Anyone special?" Levi asked.

"Another random civilian." Erwin answered, eyes locked on the ground, hands still on his hips. "There's no pattern to follow."

"Why Nanaba?" Levi asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

"Anyone that was remotely close to Dr. Jaeger is in danger." Erwin said, no longer doubting it. "I fear for Hanji as well."

"She can take care of herself, right?" Levi asked, actually concerned. The crazy woman had some way of protecting herself, didn't she?

"Hanji's capable." Erwin said. "But so is whoever we're dealing with."

"This has to stop." Levi said sternly. "People can't keep getting killed. What about the surveillance footage from Langar's apartment?"

"Apparently there was no footage." Erwin answered, voice rising in volume. "The land lord said there was no camera installed in that particular hallway."

Levi huffed. "Well what about this street? Is there a traffic camera that could have caught it?"

Before Erwin could answer, the sound of kitten heels clicking was coming in their direction.

"Petra." Erwin addressed.

"Commander Smith." Petra responded with a curt nod. She then turned to Levi, who was obviously waiting for an explanation.

"Since this complex is so close to the hospital, Nanaba walked to and from work. She ended her nightshift and was heading back her apartment." Petra paused to breath. "One shot to the head."

Levi sighed, closing his eyes, Erwin just stood there, and Petra bit her lip.

"Surveillance, Ral." Levi reminded. Petra nodded quickly and started walking back towards the nearest cop.

For a while, neither Erwin nor Levi said anything. Both were deep in thought.

"If they're trying to make a statement, if they're trying to ask for something, they are doing a shitty job." Levi broke the silence.

Erwin knew the 'they' Levi was referring to was whoever was behind all this. "What if they don't want anything?" Erwin proposed.

"They want something." Levi said quickly. "We would have found Dr. Jaeger's body already if this was a rag-tag string of murders. They _want_ something."

888

Eren's night had been damn near restless, and the same was to be said of the night to come, thanks to the news.

"_Officials say that this murder is believed to be connected with the murder of Ilse Langar, and the kidnapping of Dr. Grisha Jaeger. The Stohess police and detective departments refuse to comment on the sequence of events. It has been five days since Dr. Jaeger was kidnapped from his home in the Trost area, and since then two murders have happened. Both women worked with Dr. Jaeger."_

Eren turned the TV off and dropped the remote on the ground. He ran his fingers through his messy hair and tried to calm himself down.

When he woke up, it was eight in the morning. He checked his phone to see a message from Levi stating he was called in to a crime scene. Eren wondered if it was somebody else from the hospital, and apparently it had been.

He remembered meeting Nanaba a many times. Whenever Grisha brought Eren to work with him, he'd see Nanaba. One time he fell asleep in the waiting room while his father was in the middle of surgery. It was Nanaba that carried him to the lounge and covered him with a blanket. She'd smile softly every time she saw Eren, and he'd do the same.

Granted, those memories were from a long time ago. Still, it brought a fresh sting to his eyes.

Just then, he heard the apartment door click open. He looked up and saw Levi a few seconds later.

For a moment, Eren forgot all about the events of last night. Levi's eyes were sporting dark circles, but more dark than normal. He looked a little pale and annoyed.

"Are you okay?" Levi asked.

Eren nodded, but said nothing. He looked back to the ground, and heard footsteps muffled by carpet coming his way.

Levi said on the couch next to him, a comfortable distance apart. The room was quiet, and Eren was feeling nervous. Things were getting worse as the days went on. There was little hope left for Grisha as far as he knew.

"Levi." Eren said, his voice low.

The man didn't make a sound, but he knew he heard him. He decided to ask the million dollar question.

"Do you think my dad's alive?"

Levi blinked his eyes slowly before turning them towards Eren. The teen was still staring at the ground intently, as if he was afraid to look up. He supposed this question needed to be answered, whether he was wrong or not.

"Yes."

"Be honest!" Eren snapped.

Levi was unmoved. "I am. I believe your father is alive."

Eren looked up, and Levi noticed the angry red tint dusting his face. His eyes were glassy again.

"Why?" Eren asked. "How?"

"Whoever is doing this is killing people your father worked with. If they didn't need him for some reason, we would have found his body a long time ago. I believe he's still alive."

Eren wasn't sure if he wanted to accept that answer, but Levi was answering quickly with confidence. He suddenly felt bad for blowing up.

"Sorry." Eren said, sighing. "I just…"

"You don't have to explain yourself." Levi said, surprising himself with the comforting words. "It's okay to be upset."

Eren looked at Levi, face still red, but absent of emotion. All his life people told him to calm down when he got worked up, and now here Levi was saying it was okay.

That was a difference Eren didn't know he needed.

888

The rest of the day was spent with TV, Titanfall, then back to TV.

"I didn't do my pre-cal work today." Eren said before taking a bit of is pizza.

Levi had changed into sweats and a t-shirt and spent the rest of the day in the apartment. He didn't feel like cooking, and neither did Eren, so he ordered pizza. This meant he skipped the gym _again_.

Three times the charm.

"I didn't go to the gym today, nor Wednesday, or Tuesday." Levi said.

"Can I go with you tomorrow?" Eren asked.

He knew Levi said no, but then he said he'd think about it. He's had plenty of time to think about it.

Eren was sitting kriss-kross on the ground, and Levi was on the couch. Eren looked up to him when he asked, green eyes wide in anticipation. Levi knew he said he would think about it, and he was honestly going to give in, but today's events made him wary of taking Eren out of the apartment. As if he could read Levi's mind, Eren spoke up.

"Nothing will happen to me if I'm with you, right?" Eren asked, small smirk touching his lips. Levi knew the teen was trying to stay optimistic about everything.

"Eren…" Levi sighed.

"Please?" Eren asked, eyes widening even more.

Levi wanted to say no, he really did, but the pleading way in which Eren was looking at him made him abandon his better judgment.

"This won't be a regular thing." Levi responded.

Eren's smile came back full force, annoying Levi and warming him at the same time. "Tomorrow you can come, but don't expect to come along every time I go."

"Thanks Levi." Eren said before turning back to the TV.

Levi crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

He liked it when Eren said that.


	8. Chapter 8

Friday…

Opera foreign to the ears was echoing in the spacious stone hallway leading into the dining area. Hanji walked slowly to their destination, smiling at the artwork adorning the detailed brick walls of the restaurant. They wished they had more time to sightsee and gaze at the beauty that was Hannover. Traveling was a pastime for them.

Their heels made audible clicks with every step. Hanji glanced down and scowled at the dress they were wearing.

Erwin suggested that wearing something feminine and attractive might help their cause. Hanji, who put work above pride, agreed.

They smoothed their hands over the dark blue fabric of the off-shoulder gown. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it was feminine, they guessed. They weren't leaving the house without their complimentary glasses (goggles as Erwin liked to call them), and their hair was in its normal fashion.

A part of them was excited to meet this man again despite the mission at hand. If Pixis weren't suspected of illegal activities, they'd ask the man to join their research group.

Two more civilians had gone missing since their arrival in Hannover, which was disheartening. From the news she received from Erwin, two people back home had been murdered; people that worked closely with Dr. Jaeger.

Hanji bit their lip as they approached the door leading to the entrance. Taking a deep breath, they channeled all their enthusiasm and walked in, smile beaming.

The place was crowded, as Pixis said it would be. Hanji walked up to the podium near the entrance and cleared their throat.

"How may I help you?" The short, female attendant asked.

"Reservation for Pixis." Hanji said, smiling still.

The attendant checked the list with a bright red fingernail. "Right this way." She smiled, turning around to lead the way.

Hanji let their smile falter for a moment before following.

The high arch in the ceiling was beautiful, or so they thought. There were chandeliers hanging down, slightly swaying if you stared long enough; their light bulbs looked like tiny flames.

The waitress led them towards the back. Hanji could only assume that this man wanted to meet in public and still keep things private. It was when they reached a lone corner with a single two-seat table that Hanji's speculations were confirmed.

"Here you go." The waitress said, forced smile a little frightening.

Hanji nodded in thanks, sitting down and inwardly chanting their phrase before speaking.

'_Para bellum.'_

"Good evening, Mr. Pixis."

The shiny menu was brought down slowly, and Hanji reminded themselves to deceive the deceiver. They had the upper hand since Pixis was already suspected. It was a matter of getting the man to trust them.

His face was sporting a good, red flush to his cheeks, and when Hanji looked at the flask lying on the table, they automatically knew why.

They were graced with a welcoming smile, or at least what was supposed to be welcoming. Hanji found it disturbing. The man looked older than when she last saw him, not that that was unusual, but time had not been kind to him.

"Dr. Zoe." Pixis said, voice caressing the title in a familiar way.

He extended a warm, dry hand across the table. Hanji quickly took it, shaking it fervently.

"How many years has it been?" Hanji said, making simple conversation.

Pixis pondered this a moment before huffing. "Hmm, over ten I know. After that, I just stopped counting."

Both laughed, one of them faked, at the statement. More simple conversation was conjured, mostly on Pixis' part. He asked Hanji about their stay in Hannover, and all the places they've seen.

"Now, what about your research?" Pixis finally asked. Hanji gulped, knowing the _real_ conversation was approaching.

"It's going quite well." Hanji said, picking up a fork to dig into her kartoffelpuffer. "I've been considering taking up a teaching position in anatomy at a London university."

Pixis looked impressed. "That's very nice, Zoe."

"Oh, please, call me Hanji." They said, smile wide.

Pixis nodded slowly. "Hanji. Well, I think you should take up the offer. It would be convenient having you in Europe."

That struck their interest.

"Oh?" Hanji inflected. "Why is that?"

Pixis picked up his classic silver flask and took a swig. He let it fall back to the table with little care, and leaned across to whisper.

"We share the same vision, you and I."

Hanji felt something creeping up their spine, knowing it was intuition telling them that something was off. While they may have engaged in emailed conversations about anatomy, genetic make-up, and bioengineering, there vision was not the same.

Hanji believed in the advancement of science to help the world, not hurt it.

"Do we?" They asked, taking a sip of wine.

Pixis leaned back and smiled. It was something between 'you can trust me' and 'I'll stab you in the back' laced in that smile. An ordinary person might have mistaken it for kindness and honesty, but Hanji knew better.

As much as this next statement would leave a bitter taste in their mouth, Erwin made it clear how imperative it was to win Pixis over.

"I'd like for us to work together." Hanji lied. "We can achieve our vision faster, and there are surely some things I can help you with."

Pixis nodded knowingly, not saying anything as their main course was brought to the table on a silver tray.

The rest of the meal was eaten in partial silence, only a few hurried words from Pixis in between bites. Hanji played along nicely, nodding and smiling to everything; plotting behind his back on the inside.

The check came quicker than they expected, much to Hanji's pleasure. They wanted to get to the hotel and take off the stupid dress.

"I thank you for coming." Pixis said, tucking his flask away in his suit pocket. "For a moment, I was afraid you'd say no."

Hanji cocked their head to the side. "How could I ever? There's no way I'd turn down an opportunity to meet my idol."

Pixis laughed warmly. Hanji was lying her ass off.

"You know, I'm glad you understand. Without change, there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. We can change the world, Hanji."

Hanji picked up the glass holding the remaining drops of wine, Pixis followed suit.

"To the advancement of mankind." Hanji said, raising their glass for a toast.

"To a new era." Pixis added.

Their glasses clinked in the middle, intentions of every sort behind them.

888

_It was dark._

_That's the first thing Eren noticed when he opened his eyes._

_He was laying down, probably on a bed, due to the softness underneath him._

_He called out._

"_Hello?"_

_For a moment, there was no verbal answer. Eren was starting to get nervous._

"_Eren."_

_Levi._

_The shorter man was walking towards him in all his glory. He was shirtless, chest almost as distracting as those steel eyes that held so much mystery behind them. He had on jeans, tight fitting, gauging Eren's interest immediately._

_Levi was crawling over him in an instant. Eren could feel warm breath fanning his face; steel eyes on his green. Levi brought up a hand to touch Eren's cheek._

"_Levi, what are you doing?" He asked, gasping when the hand slowly dragged down to brush his lips._

"_What you want me to." Levi answered, voice thick with what Eren could only distinguish as lust._

_Suddenly, Levi moved his body on top of Eren's, and the teen hissed at the contact. Levi's lips, careful and steady, touched Eren's, starting a heat that might never cool down…_

Eren opened his eyes slowly, really not wanting to leave that dream.

The living room was hot, or maybe that was just him. He sat up, grunting at the movement.

There was no mistaking it now.

Eren had been crushing on Jean for years, and never once had he had a dream like _that_.

He knew it was only his head, but it felt _so damn real_.

He brought up a trembling hand to his lips. His mind materialized the feel of Levi's body on top of his, of his lips on his lips. Eren closed his eyes and tentatively moved his hand, breathing out at the memory.

He needed to do this while it was still vivid.

He adjusted his body so that he was sitting on the couch properly. The hand that had not been at work touched his chest and moved down, taking its time.

Eren wasn't sure where this feeling came from, but he knew he hadn't done this in a while.

The hand touched the rim of boxers, and he pushed it underneath, opening his mouth to let out no sound as he grabbed the head of his current problem.

His hand squeezed, and he stifled a moan. He began to pump slowly, keeping his eyes closed to keep the dream fresh.

The hand that was playing with his lips came down to pull down his boxers some, giving him more room to work.

He may have been wrong, but Eren swore he could feel Levi's erection pressing on his in the dream; big and firm.

Or at least that's what his mind told him.

'_Levi, what are you doing?'_

'_What you want me to.'_

Eren groaned softly, the quiet sound joining in with his deep breathing. There were several more things Eren wanted in that moment, more than a kiss. He moved his hand faster, his mind showing him lewd images. Him on his knees at Levi's mercy, looking up into those cold eyes. Or Levi on his knees, in between Eren's legs, flicking his tongue at his excitement.

Nothing else mattered at that moment except his thoughts and his erection.

"Levi." Eren moaned, the name said softly, but breathily.

His hand moved even faster, and Eren groaned at the sound of his dick being pumped, slick with pre-cum. He wanted it to be Levi's hands on him, touching him eagerly, looking into his eyes as he always did.

Eren's breathing became rapid as he felt the onset of a climax. That didn't take long at all. But how could it? How could Eren possibly hold back at the thought of Levi touching him in all sorts of ways, his lips on his neck, biting down to mark him?

How could he control himself with the thought of Levi wrapping his mouth around his cock?

How could he control himself with the image of the man commanding him to let go?

"Fuck!" Eren breathed, expression contorted as he came, spurt after spurt. He held in more sounds, fearing he might somehow wake up the man of his affections. His hand kept moving, earning some sort of high pitched sound to quietly tear from his throat. Eren came down from his high, opening his eyes to look at the mess he made on his hands and boxers.

He supposed he should feel embarrassed, ashamed even. The man that was looking after him was the same one he was jerking off to, but the embarrassment didn't come. Eren felt relaxed, and smiled softly, shrugging his shoulders as she stood up to waddle to the bathroom.

888

He should _really_ walk away.

There were all kinds of things fucked up about this, but…

Wow.

"Levi."

Levi knew his own name when he heard it.

His eyes widened, and the glass of milk in his hand was warming due to him squeezing it so hard.

It was the middle of the night, late and quiet. He was able to sleep for a few hours, but that was it. He supposed he should be grateful for that little bit of rest alone.

He walked out of his bedroom and down the hall quietly, careful to not awaken the teen on his couch. He slipped in the kitchen, bare feet patting quietly against the cold floor. It only took a few seconds to get what he came for, so he should be back in his bedroom, correct?

Well, that's when Eren happened.

Levi heard a soft noise, and he knew it was Eren of course. He figured he was making sounds in his sleep, but when he peeked his head around the corner to peer in the darkness of the living room, he was graced with something much more…unexpected.

There Eren was, sitting on the couch, boxers halfway down, touching himself.

Levi's body stilled immediately, and he had to fight hard to chase away the smirk that wanted to appear on his face. He leaned his body against the wall, making sure Eren wouldn't be able to see him from his angle.

And he watched.

That's when he heard his name.

As if the display wasn't already stimulating him in more ways than he'd ever admit, when he heard his name that changed everything.

His body reacted quickly, much too quickly for his liking. He knew it had been a while, but still. He wasn't some horny virgin; he had self control.

But Eren, stroking himself with concentration stirred something in Levi, and the man felt his stomach lurch when he realized that it was more than physical attraction.

He was twenty-seven years of age; Eren was seventeen. That alone was enough to prove how wrong this peeping was.

He bit his bottom lip as he watched Eren pick up his pace, mouth opening slightly as he did so. It was a great sight, and Eren wasn't lacking in the 'department' either.

The hand not currently holding the glass of milk went to his crotch. His hand twitched, almost as if it was begging to touch himself, but Levi refrained.

"Fuck!"

Levi turned around and moved back down the hall as quickly as he could without making too much sound. He closed his bedroom door slowly, making sure it made little noise. When it was closed, he let his body rest against the door, closed his eyes, and began deep breathing.

His mind was racing one thousand miles a minute, and he didn't like that. Levi made clear headed decisions in trying circumstances, yet he couldn't seem to pull himself together at the moment, and it was all because of Eren.

What the hell made Eren think such things of him? Was Eren even…gay?

'Does it matter?' Levi silently questioned himself.

It didn't matter. Because no matter what Eren felt, what he thought, what he did, or what sexuality he associated himself with, those things would never change the fact that he was a teenager, and Levi an adult.

Fraternization with a minor would cost him his job, his apartment, and most likely his freedom. What was really bothering him was that, dare he say, he _liked_ it.

Levi liked Eren.

Not only did he like him as a person (sometimes), but his 'like' ran deeper than he expected, deeper than it should.

Levi wasn't quite sure when it happened, or how. He assumed it had something to do with them being cooped up together for a week. Yes, that had to be it. It was only hormones.

Levi blamed his feelings on the fact that he hadn't been involved with anyone since…hell, he couldn't remember. His isolation must be turning into loneliness.

That's the excuse he made for himself as he set the now warm glass of milk on his beside dresser and laid down. That's the excuse he created when images of Eren touching himself presented themselves every time he closed his eyes.

That's what he told himself when his mind refused to let him sleep without the images of green eyes, shining and wide, plague his thoughts.

888

Saturday…

"Good morning, Levi."

Levi knew he looked like crap. He couldn't sleep well the night before for obvious reasons, and one of those reasons was staring him in the face with unwelcomed enthusiasm.

"Morning, Eren." Levi deadpanned. The man walked right past Eren, who was sitting at the kitchen table, phone in hand, dressed and ready to go.

He was wondering if his off-putting tone would turn Eren off, but then again, this is Eren Jaeger we're talking about.

"When are we leaving?" Eren asked, his inside voice not quite so present this morning.

"In a few minutes." Levi said, running his hands under the warm water of the kitchen sink.

Eren's smile faltered minutely. He could tell Levi was in a mood from just his tone of voice and less than favorable behavior. Deciding that he'd give the older man some space, Eren got up quietly and headed back to the living room.

He sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh. He pulled out his phone and checked it for the umpteenth time. He knew he couldn't really contact anyone or vice versa, but he couldn't fight the impulse to check anyway.

He slid his phone back in his pocket and closed his eyes, leaning his head back to rest on the couch. Last night had been…eventful in a sense. The dream he had about Levi was a little more than inappropriate, but blame the mind and its tendency to fabricate the unimaginable.

Eren had expected some kind of feeling of shame or embarrassment to rise within him once he saw Levi, but that never happened. He only smiled and felt relaxed. Then Levi's attitude threw him off a bit, but maybe he'd be in a better mood once he worked off some anger, or whatever it was that was bothering the older man.

He was well on his way back to sleep before he heard Levi's voice.

"Let's go." Levi said.

Eren opened his eyes quickly, moving to stand up. When he was fully alert, he took the man in. Levi was wearing black compression shorts and a dark red shirt. The red contrasted with those platinum eyes, making them stand out more than his favorite black shirts ever could.

Eren shook his head quickly and followed Levi out the apartment door.

The walk down the hall was quiet, as was the entrance to the parking garage, and the drive away from the apartment. Eren had already had enough of that.

"So, what's this gym like?" He asked, attempting to start some kind of conversation.

Levi's hands were firmly set on the steering wheel, and his eyes were trained on the road. "It's an elite gym."

Eren's eyes were the size of saucers. "The one near Sina? That's like, a body builder gym."

Levi hummed in agreement. "They have the track there, so I use that too."

Eren nodded his head and turned his eyes to look out his window. He hadn't ran in a while, or done any kind of efficient physical activity as of late, so he was afraid he'd end up looking out of shape in front of Levi and the body builders. He'd stick to some low weights and the treadmill.

The rest of the drive there was in silence, and it was starting to make Eren's ears bleed.

"Do you have any CDs in here?" Eren asked, turning to face the man again.

"Look in the glove compartment." Levi responded.

Eren did just that, and pulled out the only CD in the compartment. His blank expression was quickly replaced with an amused one. He turned his head to Levi, CD in hand, wearing a shit eating grin.

Levi could see the smile in his peripheral, and automatically knew what the teen was smiling about, but for the sake of it…

"What's funny?" Levi asked, fighting a smirk.

"You never struck me as Phoenix man." Eren responded, laughing.

"Shut up."

"It's okay." Eren said, taking the CD out of the case. "I like them too. This is actually my favorite album by them."

Levi lifted an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes." Eren answered, already pressing the button to skip forward to a specific song. "I'm kind of a music junkie, and Wolfgang Amadeus came out my sixth grade year, I practically begged my dad to let me go to the store and get it."

Levi tried not to let the fact that five years ago Eren was twelve and he was twenty-two bother him. It did, of course, and it didn't help his current predicament.

Levi relaxed a little when he heard 'Fences' start to play. It was one of his favorites. He was only mildly surprised when he heard Eren start to sing.

'_Got carried away. _

_Thought I would've let you know. _

_Did you miss a message?'_

Shit…Eren had a nice voice. It was a nice level, not too high or too low, but perfect for the song he was singing. Levi couldn't help but feel those words apply to him a bit. As he looked out of the corner of his eye and enjoyed the sight of Eren looking out the window, brown hair a tiny bit more managed, and tan skin; he couldn't help but think '_Yes. I've gotten carried away.'_

More songs played and before they knew it, they had reached the Sina elite gym. He wanted to laugh at Eren's expression; shocked and nervous at the looming building in front of him.

"No one's going to kick you out if you can't run a lap." Levi said, smirking as he parked in his usual spot.

Eren turned his head and smiled, the nervousness dissipating, which Levi was glad to see.

The gym was nearly empty, considering it was a Saturday morning. Levi nodded to the desk worker at the front and kept walking. Eren was busy marveling at the photos of various body builders.

The main part of the gym was decorated with black and green accents on the equipment, and only a few people were scattered around, each on different pieces of equipment.

"You have to walk to the back to get to the track." Levi said, interrupting Eren's observations. "The pool is past the track."

"This place has a _pool_?" Eren asked incredulously. Levi nodded, and started walking away, stretching his arms as he did so.

Eren walked forward slowly, a little upset when Levi immediately headed to the back door to go to the track; he didn't want to be in here by himself.

He inwardly chided himself for being that way. It was just a gym, and there was no one in here worried about him. The few men that were in there were all working out fervently, music probably blasting through their earphones.

Eren walked over to the long row of treadmills set up. There was a man on one a few feet away, running at an impressive speed. Eren gazed at him a bit, watching his legs move robotically at the gradually increasing speed.

He shrugged, figuring he could do that too. He stepped on the treadmill, adjusting his basketball shorts and putting in his earphones before turning on the machine.

System of a Down seemed to be a good choice for a rigorous workout. 'BYOB' was the select choice as Eren, who forgot how taxing regular running was, pushed the button to increase the speed.

There were days when he ran with Jean, and the horse-shit would make fun of him for being so slow. It's not that Eren was slow; Jean was just fast. Eren would make some kind of comment about how the local equestrian community would love to have him. He also distinctly remembered Jean punching his arm for that.

Truthfully, he wished he could run as fast as Jean, but he would rather get ran over by a horse than admit that.

Haha, horse. Jean, horse-shit. Haha.

Eren was feeling pumped with the music blasting in his ears. His legs were steadily keeping up with the pace he set, and he was satisfied…until he looked towards robot man again.

Robot man had increased his speed as well, now totally booking it on the treadmill. Eren wanted to yell at him to go outside to the track if he was going to do all that, but he bit his lip, and increased his speed as well.

Mikasa always told him he did too much sometimes.

He was _really_ starting to feel it now. The song was entering its famous guitar break, and Eren's legs were starting to weep.

But robot man was still going, and so would he. He grunted and increased the speed, not aware of the steel eyes watching him from a distance.

Eren was unaware of the incoherent noises he was starting to make. He was huffing, probably sounding like a wheezing animal. He didn't even notice that robot man had long since stopped running on the treadmill and left the gym entirely; no, he was _working_.

It's fascinating how the body, whether you like it or not, will give out on you for your own sake. It's just that…it happens at the most _inconvenient times_.

Eren felt his legs slowing on him, while the speed was still running its steady course. He knew he was going to wipe out any moment, but hell, he was a fighter to the end.

He felt the rubber burn his cheek before he saw it.

Yes, Eren's legs gave up and the speed of the treadmill threw his body backwards, not forgetting to make sure his face collided with the moving rubber tread on the way.

Eren lay there, face flat on the ground, 'BYOB' coming to an end, hoping the ground would open up to swallow him and all his embarrassment whole.

He heard footsteps on tile coming towards him, and he thought it was either the desk worker or one of the other guys coming to make sure he wasn't dead.

It was when he pulled his red face off the tile and looked up that his face turned redder.

Levi, who had honestly tried to contain his amusement, smiled wide.

Eren, who would do anything to see that bright smile, smiled in return.

"Work out game too strong." Eren said, earning a warm laugh from Levi.

The older man reached his hand out, and Eren took it quickly, letting Levi pull him to his feet. He unconsciously dusted off his clothes, and Levi spoke.

"Maybe I should have just left you at home."

"Weren't you supposed to be running the track or something?" Eren asked, irritation seeping in.

"It started to drizzle." Levi answered, walking towards other equipment. Eren followed him, and looked around, noticing the other people in the gym looking at them.

"It was sunny on the way here." Eren said, just striking random conversation to not look lame or concerned with everyone else's prying eyes.

"Well, Sina is bipolar when it comes to weather." Levi answered.

For the next two hours, Eren and Levi migrated from one set of equipment to the next. Levi patiently explained everything to Eren, how to work things and what not, which the teen was thankful for. He didn't want to wipe out again.

As time moved on, the gym housed more people. Levi said it was usually empty in the mornings, and as the day went on, more people came.

Eren was back on the treadmill (because he was a badass), but this time he was moving much slower than the first time. He had less intense music playing in his ears, and his eyes were trained on a certain person.

Levi was far across the gym, working on his arms. He was sitting on the weight bench, doing the arm crunches, looking distant and bored as always, accompanied by sweat.

Eren couldn't help but think how good Levi looked; lean, muscular, pale arms moving in and out, eyes trained on nothing in particular, hair stuck to his forehead.

He was so handsome.

He smirked a bit when images of last night's dream surfaced in his mind.

"Did you ever play sports as a kid?" Eren asked, wiping his forehead down with the clean towel Levi provided out of nowhere.

"Non." Levi responded in his native language, pushing the gym door open and welcoming the fresh breeze.

Eren smiled. "Oh. It's just that you're so fit. I thought maybe that athleticism came from childhood experiences."

Levi mentally laughed. Experiences indeed.

When they were in the car, Levi crinkled his nose at the strong smell of sweat in the enclosed space.

"Gross." He said, starting up the car, immediately rolling down the windows.

They were back on the main road towards the city when Levi spoke up again. "What do you want for lunch?"

Eren's stomach audibly howled at the mention of food, and he laughed. "Anywhere is good. We could get sandwiches."

Levi nodded. "Okay."

The older man said nothing as he drove. He let Eren hum and sing along with the music playing, actually enjoying the sound. As much as he liked the calm environment, they had a problem.

Levi pulled his phone from his cup holder and immediately dialed Erwin's number.

"Turn that down." Levi said quickly to Eren.

Eren stopped singing and did as he was told, turning the music off instead.

"_Levi."_

"We're being followed." Levi said calmly into the receiver.

Eren immediately spoke up. "What?"

"_By who?"_ Erwin asked just as level.

"I don't know." Levi said with mild annoyance. "It's a black Honda Accord. It was behind us on the way to the gym, but kept driving when I pulled into the parking lot. Now, here it is again."

"_Come to the office. Now."_ Erwin said, voice a little more stern than normal, and hung up.

"Levi, what the fu-

"Calm down." Levi interrupted. "You're fine."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Eren asked loudly.

"Didn't want to worry you if it was just a coincidence. Now I'm certain we're being followed, and they're not trying to conceal themselves either."

Eren put his hands to his face and groaned. Today had been going so well too, and now it was ruined.

"What do we do?" Eren asked.

"Erwin said to come to the office." Levi said. "I doubt whoever they are would want to try anything funny in front of law enforcement."

"This is crazy!" Eren yelled, visibly panicking. "How can you stay so calm?"

Levi kept his eyes on the road as he sped through the building traffic, trying to lose the car behind them.

"Holy shit!" Eren yelled, not prepared for the sudden increase. "We're gonna die."

"We are not." Levi said, smirking at the teens' reaction. "I've been through much worse."

"What!?"

Levi didn't respond as he continued to maneuver skillfully through traffic, car horns honking at them along the way.

For whatever reason, the Honda was keeping up with them, although it couldn't match his cars' speed. Levi huffed, not caring about them being followed anymore, because they were seconds from the office.

Eren was gripping the seat like his life depended on it, clenching his teeth and trying to not yell every time Levi made a wild move.

He sighed in relief when he saw the familiar Stohess police department building come into view, and Levi slowed his speed as he pulled into the parking lot.

Eren looked back, and saw the Accord slow down and drive with almost snail-like speed past the office.

"Someone's being useful." He heard Levi say, and Eren quickly snapped his head around to see Petra and another man he didn't know standing in front of the building, practically burning holes into the slow moving vehicle.

The car sped off, and Petra's face dropped the scowl as she and Auruo started walking towards Levi's now parked car.

"Did you get the tag number?" Levi asked as he rolled down the window.

"I got it." Auruo said loudly as he flapped his small notebook around.

"Erwin wants to see you." Petra said, worry in her voice.

Levi cursed. "Shit."

He knew he was probably going to get grilled for taking Eren out of the apartment, but how would he defend him? Erwin wasn't going to accept any sappy story about how teenagers needed proper sunlight and play time.

"Eren, you can wait inside." Petra said, smiling at the teen.

Eren felt a little better hearing they got the tag number, and he was glad to see a familiar face.

"Let's go." Levi said, getting out the car, Eren following suit.

888

The ride home was quiet. It was still the afternoon, and traffic was heavy.

Levi didn't say anything to Eren as they left the office, only gesturing for him to come along with him.

Eren had been sitting in the main lobby talking with Petra. It was obvious that the woman was trying to provide distraction from the current situation, but Eren appreciated it nonetheless. He asked her if Levi was going to get in trouble for taking him out, and Petra shrugged her shoulders and said she really wasn't sure.

It was only when they were safely back in the apartment and in the kitchen that Levi spoke.

"I can't take you out again."

Eren snapped his head away from the kitchen window and stared at Levi. The man was standing a few feet away from the small table, bottle of water in hand, eyes on the ground.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for practically begging you to let me come with you. Did Mr. Smith say anything about the people following us?"

Levi tensed. "Yes, but don't worry about it."

Eren blinked slowly. Levi turned to leave the kitchen, and Eren stoop up abruptly, wooden chair scraping against the floor.

"Hey, wait!"

Levi turned around, eyebrows raised at Eren's volume.

"Earlier when we were being, uh, followed…you said that you've been through worse. Like, what does that mean?"

Levi swallowed. "It means exactly what is says." He answered. "I've been through worse that being followed by a stupid car."

"Like what?" Eren asked.

Levi wasn't sure where this attitude was coming from, but he didn't like it. Eren had a visible look of determination on his face, like he was adamant about finding out the truth.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does."

"No, it does not."

"Shouldn't I be allowed to know at least something about the person I have to live with?" Eren asked, a little harsher than originally intended. He didn't mean to sound ungrateful.

Levi took a step towards Eren. "Look, you're just upset from earlier and you're acting out. Just go calm down. Go to the living room and play that stupid game, damnit Eren, just calm down!"

Levi didn't register that he was yelling, nor did he register when he was standing directly in front of Eren either. The proximity was uncomfortable.

For a few seconds, neither said anything. Eren was breathing rapidly, and Levi was breathing deeply. Those were the only sounds that could be heard.

Eren tried really hard not to let his eyes waver from Levi's, but they were so close, _so_ close. His lips were _right there_.

Levi noticed those green eyes slowly shift from his. He was gazing at his lips, unaware of how tempting that was making him look right now.

"Levi." Eren said quietly.

Out of nowhere, Levi felt a warm hand in his. Eren was trying to hold his hand. Unfortunately, this meant stepping even closer, and now Levi's chest was pressed against Eren's.

Levi felt like Eren was looming over him, just as he felt a lot of things in that moment. He couldn't really react how he wanted, because he was too busy enjoying this moment.

Eren closed his eyes and mustered every ounce of courage he could. This was crazy, wrong, and he was about to take a blind leap, but he needed to say this.

"Levi." Eren spoke again, eyes slowly opening. "Levi, I-

"I'm sorry." Levi quickly interrupted.

He yanked himself from Eren's hold and unconsciously ran his hands over his shirt.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you like that. It won't happen again." Levi said, then turned around and quickly left the kitchen and went down the hall to his room.

Eren heard the door close loudly and balled his fists up.

How many times would things end like this between them?


	9. Chapter 9

The next few days after that awkward ending in the kitchen were nothing short of torture for Eren Jaeger.

His friends always told him he was impulsive, and Eren knew this. He didn't know just how damn bad he was until he was too close for comfort in Levi's face, getting ready to confess some feelings that he wasn't even one hundred percent on anymore.

He shouldn't have let his emotions get in the way, and now that he did, that ruined everything.

He and Levi hardly spoke unless the man had to leave the apartment for work or the gym. They ate dinner in separate places; Eren in the living room and Levi in the kitchen. Levi didn't play _Titanfall_ with him anymore, and if Eren had any questions on his assignments, he automatically picked up his phone to call Petra.

They didn't discuss how his French was coming along, nor did they talk about Phoenix. And they sure as hell didn't make eye contact.

And it made Eren feel like a fool. Grade A embarrassed. He was so upset that the night of the kitchen incident he was wishing some news would pop up about his father so he could go home, or go to Armin's, whether it was good or bad.

Then he thought about just how fucked up that was. That the well being of his last and missing parent was almost secondary to the thick tension that manifested every time Levi was around.

The living room started feeling less homey, and the nightmares started coming back. They were all different, yet the same. He was confined somewhere, incapable of movement. First it was his dad holding him down, then it was a stranger in a black mask, and the night before it was Levi pining him down, grabbing at his neck, saying harsh words that he was sure the man wouldn't say in real life.

And that was another big issue. The nightmares.

They were seriously screwing him up. His eyes were rimmed red when he woke up, and he stopped caring about his hair. He was half-assing all his work, all while trying to avoid the person that was so graciously taking care of him.

That wasn't sarcasm. Levi was taking care of him, in his own little Levi way. He fleetingly wondered if he could talk to Levi about his bad dreams, but then he thought about how quickly and harshly the man pulled away from him when they were so close, and thought better of it.

And that led back to the primary issue. His feelings.

Why the hell a twenty-seven year old man would want anything to do with a hot headed, seventeen year old _male_ was beyond him. Eren had already accepted his sexuality, and even though he hadn't come out to his dad yet, he was pretty sure his dad could get a hint.

To be honest, Eren wasn't sure what kind of hints Levi had been dropping him. At this point, he was sure that there were none, and that he imagined everything because that's what he wanted. But that was obviously not what needed to happen.

Levi worked in law enforcement. He wouldn't dare do anything that could result in him losing his job, much less involve himself with a teenager.

He probably wasn't even gay.

And as Eren thought of all this at 2 in the morning because sleep would not fucking come, he felt a tightness in his throat, and hated himself more for wanting to cry about this.

He missed Mikasa. He missed Armin. He missed his dad. He missed his mom. He missed grandpa. He missed all this shitty friends, including Jean. He missed sleep. He missed being carefree. He missed being comfortable. He missed home. He missed school.

Eren missed normalcy.

He missed it so much that the growing ache in his throat was increasing to the point where he _had_ to cry, lest he lay there in pain.

Levi didn't like him, not in a romantic or friendly way.

Levi was just housing him until something broke forth on the case.

That was it.

And that hurt. It hurt because Eren had let fantasy and want cloud his good judgment, if he even had any. He had set himself up for failure, and the only person to blame was himself.

Levi had done nothing wrong. He had treated Eren nicely, or as nice as it would get. But the man had been giving him the cold shoulder. He was probably annoyed, disgusted even. He was probably praying that something would happen so Eren could leave.

Eren had begged him to take him to the gym with him, and they ended up being followed. Erwin probably got in Levi's ass about that one. Eren had gotten him in trouble.

He just didn't need to be here.

He sat up and buried his face in his hands. He wasn't used to this. He wasn't used to feeling like this about someone. He had a small thing for Jean, but he accepted that would never happen between them. Jean had Marco.

Bert and Reiner were a thing, no matter how unsuccessfully they tried to hide it.

Krista had Ymir.

And if Connie would stop bitching out, he would have Sasha.

And Mikasa and Armin, with all their academic achievements would go off to a good college, make good money, and find somebody to have to.

And Eren would be stuck in square one. Still not sure what he wanted to do, no one to have, and no one that wanted to have him.

And his chest heaved. He held down a pitiful sob at his own self loathing and heaved. He wasn't prone to panicking, but he obviously wasn't immune to it either. Eren had two stages. Normal Eren, which encompassed a lot of things, and Mad Eren, which was basically anger and annoyance.

This sadness, this anxiousness…it wasn't like him

But what the fuck was anything anymore anyway?

888

Levi had insomnia.

He knew this. Insomnia knew him, and he knew that, but…

It had been four days.

_Four days_.

It wasn't just work wearing him down. It was life.

And someone could call him melodramatic if they wanted, Levi didn't give a fuck.

Because for the first time in a long time, he was genuinely confused.

First, work.

There had been new developments. Dr. Zoe contacted Erwin immediately after their dinner with Pixis and reported. Erwin told them to play along nicely, and that action would be taken soon.

They were overly sure that Grisha Jaeger was in Hannover. Dead or alive, that was still a mystery. They were pretty sure that whoever murdered Nanaba and Ilse Langar also followed Levi and Eren that day.

And Levi had had enough _whoever's_, and _probably's_, and _possibly's_. They needed to take action now. No more 'wait and see.' He had expressed his feelings to Erwin, and the older man only responded with something along the lines of 'patience' and 'trust me, this will all work out in the end.'

Levi had long since learned to just let Erwin be Erwin, but this wasn't just any case. This was the toughest one they'd had in a while, and 'patience' and 'trust' were not going to find Grisha Jaeger.

They also wouldn't send Eren way fast enough.

Secondly, Eren.

Levi had fucked up. He got way too close, too personal, too friendly, and now everything was too wrong in his apartment and he was tired of coming home and not feeling like he was at home even though it was _his_ home.

Yes, Eren was cute, handsome even. Yes, he was stubborn. Yes, Eren had amazing eyes. Yes, he had a bright smile. Yes, his hair always looked cute even when it was a mess. Yes, yes, yes, Eren.

Yes, things had gotten screwed up.

And the past four days Levi spent avoiding conversation, eye contact, and being in the same vicinity with Eren had taught him that maybe all those things meant nothing, and that it was good for things to get screwed up because they shouldn't have been that way to begin with.

And by 'that way' he meant the stupid things he felt when he talked to Eren. The ridiculous way he smirked when Eren cursed at the laptop because his pre-cal wasn't making any sense. The way he laughed when Levi insulted him. The way he…

The way Eren was Eren made Levi feel foreign things and it was stupid.

The fact that Levi was even thinking about this was stupid.

Nothing could happen between them. He was positive that whatever Eren was going to say to him that night in the kitchen was nothing appropriate for their situation, and that's why he walked away. Levi had to walk away, no matter how much he wanted to know what words were about to leave those lips that were so close to his. No matter how much he wanted to ensure he wasn't the only one feeling stupid things. He had to walk away.

There was nothing wrong with Eren. Nothing at all. All the flaws to him actually complimented him, and it was strange that Levi found that endearing.

It was strange that Levi thought anything of Eren at all.

And while he would make sure that he and Eren were never that close again, he wasn't sure how to go about things. After the kitchen scene, Levi had made sure to avoid engaging with Eren like a normal person. He needed Eren to _understand_; needed him to see that what they wanted and what was needed were two different things, and anything more between them would complicate life more.

Levi breathed deeply and closed his eyes, hoping he could stop thinking for two seconds about the problem down the hall. It was all useless, and he knew that the only way he'd be getting to sleep was when his mind and body finally shut down on him. Unfortunately, that only happened when the sun was an hour from coming up.

He sat up and propped himself against his wooden headboard. The coldness of the furniture bit into his bare skin, and Levi wondered if it had always been this cold in his room.

How did he even end up liking Eren? _Fuck_, back to Eren again. Did it matter how it happened? It had, and there was nothing Levi could do about it but stop it.

And because the universe hated him, Levi's mind started to think about what he saw Eren doing that one night.

Jesus.

Levi closed his eyes again, and tried to recall every second of Eren he saw. This was sick, he was sure of it. He was an adult and Eren was underage. He was sure that thinking about Eren touching himself constituted for a child predatory status, but he couldn't find a care to give.

Eren had said _his_ name. He said his name while his hands had been working his impressive cock, and Levi _liked_ it. It made him think of other things, other scenarios where it was him touching Eren instead, or vice versa. It made Levi's hands clench into fists right then.

It made Levi want.

He let out a sharp breath when one of his hands snaked to his thigh, almost as if he was surprised by the touch from himself. He didn't want to do this, yet he did.

And that's why Levi was confused.

It wasn't just physicality. It was a scary experience called 'liking.' And Levi hadn't liked someone this much before, not in this way. Levi had never thought about anyone while touching himself, much unlike now.

He wasn't used to this. He wasn't used to biting his lip to silence himself. Levi was confused.

And his mind stayed on one person the entire time. Eren. Eren's eyes. Eren touching himself to the thought of Levi. Eren.

"_Eren_." He whispered, and let his climax run its course.

He breathed deeply, now finally feeling drowsiness set in. He'd clean up in a moment, but for now, he let his head fall against the headboard.

He was confused. Because how? How could Eren get in his mind like this and change so much?

However it started, whatever caused it was irrelevant. Levi just knew, he thought as he stood up to walk awkwardly and quietly to the bathroom, that he was silently happy for it.


	10. Chapter 10

Wednesday…

"It's looking like we have to go to Hannover."

And that finally caught Levi's attention.

The man looked up, hands underneath his chin, and stared straight at Erwin.

The conference room was silent. Petra shifted awkwardly in her seat while Auruo and Gunter tried to look anywhere else except at the two men at either heads of the table.

Erwin sat as he always did. Back straight, one leg crossed over the other, hands on the armrests of the chair like some kind of leader, which he was.

The information he had received from Hanji pretty much verified that offense was going to be the only way to finish this case. Hanji told him about the dinner date with Pixis, and since then, one more person had gone missing. It was understood that if Hanji were able to get that close to Pixis, even getting the man to ask for their assistance in his twisted endeavors, then Levi could come in, guns blazing (literally and maybe figuratively) and finish things off.

Erwin was ninety nine percent sure Grisha Jaeger was in Hannover being held captive. What he didn't understand was what the man had to do with _any_ of this.

Either way, it was time to find out. Which meant it was time to put Levi to use.

Erwin had called this meeting to brief everyone on the case. He noticed that Levi had been avoiding eye contact with anyone since he showed up to work, and had been oddly distant the past seven days. The distant part wasn't exactly a shocker, but if Erwin could notice it, then it was more so than normal.

"Where will Eren go, sir?" Petra asked nervously. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to comment.

"With you." Erwin said, eyes still trained on Levi's. "You've already met him. He seems to trust you."

Levi's jaw set.

The silence stretched on again, and if anyone felt safe to, they would have laughed at the completely baffled expression on Auruo's face, who was genuinely confused at the tension.

"Is Petra fit to protect Eren?" Levi asked. "After the incident last week, I don't want to leave him with just anyone."

Petra visibly cringed at her superior's harsh tone.

"I'm sure he will be just fine." Erwin answered, face expressionless. "I also don't think Petra would be foolish enough to take Eren out of his safety zone."

The last few words from 'foolish' and forward were said with a particular harshness that made Petra cast her eyes down in order to avoid looking at the two anymore. Gunter ran a hand through his thick, dark hair, which he always did when he felt awkward or nervous. Auruo gaped.

Levi bit his bottom lip quickly to avoid spewing out an insult. He knew it was a mistake to have taken Eren out, but Erwin didn't need to throw it in his face and everyone else's.

"If we do go to Hannover," Levi said, "when do we leave?"

"I'd like to go as soon as possible. Before anyone else gets taken or killed."

"How sure are you that Grisha Jaeger is there?" Levi asked patronizingly.

"Sure enough." Erwin bit out. "This is an order. We will leave tomorrow. Petra will get Eren tomorrow, and you will meet me at the airbase past Sina at 07 sharp. That's how sure I am."

Erwin stood up calmly, despite his tone of voice, and nodded as he exited the room. No one moved, fearing that the slightest motion would set Levi off. This wasn't the first time they had seen Erwin and Levi go back and forth, but this was the first time they had seen it in a serious situation.

Levi got up and left the room qietly. When the other three were sure they were alone and that their superiors were out of ear shot, they broke the silence.

"What actually just happened?" Auruo asked, mouth still open in surprise.

Petra finally looked up from her lap and shrugged her eyebrows indicating she had no idea.

"They never act like that." Gunter said. "Well, not _never_, but…"

Auruo and Gunter started going back and forth on the subject, and Petra sat there in silence, watching the wall behind Gunter's head.

She knew she ought not to take anything personally. Levi had been in a mood all week, and she would bet it had something to do with Erwin getting upset, or his version of upset, about him taking Eren out in public.

It was highly ironic that someone just so happened to be following them the moment Eren left the apartment. Someone would have had to follow Levi around beforehand, or know what his car looked like, to find out where he lived.

But who?

888

"Go!"

Eren clutched the controller with anger.

"Oh my fucking god." He said, exasperated.

One more try.

This had been the cycle of his less than productive Wednesday kept prisoner in Levi's apartment.

He got one, literally one assignment done, and that was in English. Easiest class in his life.

He was falling behind on other subjects, like calculus, and especially French. He was living in close quarters with a French man, and couldn't even muster up the courage to ask him what something meant.

Eren couldn't muster up the courage to ask Levi anything anymore.

His mind was still heavily weighed with the dumb thing he almost did, the stupid things he almost said, in Levi's kitchen four days ago. It might not be so bad, if Levi had decided to drop it and move on with life. But since it was so bad, Levi dropped it, and dropped associating with him as well.

Eren no longer went in the kitchen when Levi was there. It saved him from thinking about the seemingly infinite silence that stretched between them.

He wondered if he should apologize. But apologize for what? 'Hey, Levi. I'm sorry I almost kissed you, and I'm sorry I almost told you I liked you. We're still cool though, right?'

No.

Eren was done with the silence. They were both mature adults (almost). When Levi got home from work, Eren would talk to him. Even if the conversation would be awkward and short lived, it would be a conversation nonetheless.

But what to say?

A familiar sound on the TV screen let him know that he had once again failed his mission, and Eren growled while hastily exiting out of the game. Even _Titanfall_ was becoming a nuisance.

He checked his phone, which was void of any text messages of course, to check the time.

5:05 p.m.

Eren sighed and sat down on the couch, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. When his hands plopped back down to his lap, he began to sort his thoughts.

It was going on two weeks since his father's disappearance. Those nightmares were still plaguing him. Levi wasn't talking to him. And oh yea, they had been followed.

That last fact had been haunting Eren's mind since the hour it happened. Whoever had followed them had to know what Levi's car looked like, and where he lived. They would also have to know who Levi was; a twenty seven-year old detective with a severe case of emotional constipation currently acting in the witness protection program.

Well, some information is more essential than others.

They'd also have to know about Eren, and the fact that he was living with Levi. They would have had to be watching, be a part of this entire situation; the kidnapping, the murders, all of it.

His throat tightened when he thought about Nanaba. She hadn't deserved to go like that, or to go at all. He hoped she had been happy her last few days, her last few breaths. He hoped her life had been worth it.

She wouldn't go in vain, however. And neither would Ilse Langar.

In the midst of all this confusion and chaos, all Eren wanted was to be at home, in his bed, his dad somewhere under the roof, not caring about his homework, because Armin would help him with it in the morning before school started. Mikasa would swing by and cook breakfast because she believed hot meals were important and if left up to Eren, cereal would make up 73 percent of his diet.

Jean would throw an insult in his direction, and Eren would retort with something equally rude or even more so. Marco would laugh, smiling genuinely at the familiarity. Connie would start telling some crazy story about people they hardly knew doing things that were too wild for even teenagers. Eren would laugh loudly, as would everyone else, and no one would feel any sort of uncomfortable because Eren said something stupid and ruined every good thing that could have happened between him and Levi.

Wait…what?

Eren brought his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes hard. Just as he was getting ready to curse out loud, the apartment door opened.

Levi walked in, clad in his black coat, black jeans and boots, and a grey button up underneath. His messenger bag hung from a shoulder, black enough to match with the rest of his attire. Sharp as always.

Just then, a low rumble sounded, letting the city and its inhabitants know rain was coming.

"Hey." Eren said, timing it perfectly before another rumble came.

"Hey." Levi said, walking in the living room. He set his bag down on the table in front of him, and frowned.

"This living room is a mess."

Eren laughed dryly, much in relief more than anything else. Even if it was a shot at his stay in the living room, they were words coming out of Levi's mouth directed at him, and that was all that mattered.

"Sorry." He said nervously, smile threatening to grace his face.

Levi shifted on his feet a bit, as if he was contemplating what to say, eyes trained on the bag he just set on the table.

"We need to talk."

The small sliver of hope Eren had, the ray of sunshine, was gone. Those words were never good. It could mean anything and everything all at once, and Eren was pretty sure he knew what was going to happen. Levi was going to tell him they couldn't do this anymore. Eren couldn't live with him anymore because he was a danger and a distraction, and he was going to send him somewhere else.

Levi sat on the couch, right on the edge, and placed his hands on his kneecaps. He opened his mouth to speak, and Eren spoke first instead.

"I'm sorry." He blurted.

Levi closed his mouth and looked at him with wide icy eyes.

"I know what I did was wrong. I'm just a…dumb teenager, and I shouldn't have even gotten that close to you, much less that close to telling you any of my feelings. I understand if you want to throw me out. I mean, I wouldn't blame you. You can't house a kid that likes you."

The confession left his mouth faster than he could register, and Eren immediately felt his face go hot, and his heart beat speed up, waiting on a response.

Levi's eyes were wide, then they softened. They dulled back down to their usual cut, worrying Eren even more.

Silence passed between them, much like the kind that had been in their presence for the past few days, but this was different. This was silence after the truth, this was the moment where the person who confessed was losing their shit waiting on the other person to talk.

"Eren," Levi started off, eyes flicking to the couch, "that's not what I was going to talk about."

Thunder sounded again, low and calming, while Eren's heartbeat went from uncomfortably fast to dreadfully slow.

Eren inhaled slowly. "Oh."

Levi cleared his throat. "It's about this case, and your father."

Eren gulped and nodded, sitting up even straighter than before.

The older faced forward, eyes trained on the white wall across the room. He wouldn't look at Eren while he said this.

"Erwin, or Mr. Smith, has decided that it would be best to take action and travel to Hannover. Hanji has given us strong leads, and he is very sure that your father is there."

He paused to let that information sink in before continuing. He wasn't look at Eren, so he didn't see the pale look come over the teen's face.

"This means that Erwin and I will be leaving for Hannover, specifically tomorrow at seven in the morning. You will be staying with Petra. She is equipped to take care of you, so no worries. You will be safe."

At the word 'safe' Levi finally turned his head and looked at Eren.

Eren nodded again, slowly, processing everything. Levi was still looking at him, as if he was expecting some kind of immediate reaction to the news.

"This is good, Eren. When Erwin has a hunch, he's hardly ever wrong, which means we're a step closer to finding your father."

Another slow nod.

Thunder, a little louder this time, sounded again, making Eren fidget slightly. Levi turned away and stood up, grabbing his bag from the glass coffee table.

"You'll have to wake up early, around five probably." He said, walking away. He was at the entrance of the hall when he stopped and spoke over his shoulder.

"Things are going to get better for you from here on out."

The words sounded wrong coming out of his mouth, in Eren's opinion. Like they had been practiced. Robotic.

He waited until he heard Levi's bedroom door close before he exhaled shakily.

He placed his elbows on his knees, buried his face in his hands, and began to think.

This was good, right? His dad was going to be found, and from the way Levi made it sound, they believed he was alive. Great, right? Petra would be his new caretaker while Levi was gone. And when they came back, it would be with his father, and Eren would go back home to his ordinary life…

Right?

Why didn't he feel happier?

He felt a hot rush of anger inside him. Not only was he not happy, he was very pissed. Angry, even. He just sat down and confessed, and Levi disregarded it like it was a minor slip up. A fault of the tongue. Eren just confessed, and Levi ignored his feelings.

Without properly thinking it through, Eren got up and stormed down the hallway, thunder clapping again. He pounded on Levi's door, hard. A few short raps to make sure Levi heard.

It only took a few seconds for the man to open the door, black coat gone and grey shirt unbuttoned at the top. Eren got even angrier that he noticed this.

"What?" He asked, a little more on the defensive side.

"That's it then?" Eren asked, bring his hands up and back down to his sides quickly. "That's all you have to say?"

Levi squinted minutely, as he always did when he wasn't sure what was going on. He wasn't stupid, however. He knew what this was about, but he was trying to avoid having that conversation, for his sake and Eren's.

So, Levi said nothing. He just stared silently at the person in front of him. Eren's jaw was set, eyes shiny, and face red as he waited for any kind of response.

"I tell you how I feel and you just jump over it like it was nothing?" He asked, voice rising in volume.

Levi didn't flinch.

Eren huffed harshly. "Is this how you treat everyone?" He began. "Are you always so closed and removed from everyone that you don't care how much of an asshole you look like?"

Levi pursed his lips quickly and spoke lowly. "Eren, you need to calm down."

Eren laughed bitterly, arms crossing over his chest. "I bet you couldn't even express yourself if you tried."

Levi sighed and closed his eyes, feeling a head ache starting.

"Eren…"

"I like you." Eren spat, shaking his head as he did so. "And I know that you know that. I just fucking told you! But what I hate is that you know this, and ignore it. You can't tell me, Levi. You can't fucking tell me all that time we spent together, and all the looks and conversations meant absolutely nothing."

Levi's eyes widened in disbelief. Eren uncrossed his arms and ran his hands through his hair carelessly.

"Or maybe it didn't mean shit!" He yelled. "Maybe I'm just imagining it and you were just trying to be nice because my fucking dad is missing and you think I'm confused. Or maybe you actually do care. I'd rather you be honest with me, though. I don't care if it hurts, just fucking tell me the truth!"

His voice was weak by the end of his rant, bottom lip quivering in emotion. Levi looked at the ground.

"Anything!" Eren yelled, out-sounding the thunder.

Levi looked up.

"Anything?" He asked, voice intimidating. "Alright, Jaeger. I'll talk."

Eren stepped back, thinking he had struck one too many nerves this time around. Levi hadn't spoken to him with that tone since the first day they met. It was funny how that day seemed ages ago, when it had only been a couple weeks.

"You are a pain, and a distraction." He began, stepping towards Eren. "I didn't want you here, I didn't want this responsibility."

Eren shook his head, confirming that he wanted him to keep going.

"Maybe I am distant, but what does it matter to you? You're here temporarily, and you don't _need_ to care about me or what I think or feel. Is that clear, Jaeger? Because it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what you feel for me, or what I feel at all. It doesn't matter because I _cannot_ do anything about it!"

He wasn't yelling; his voice was low and authoritative. Eren had backed up even further, but Levi kept stepping towards him. He felt like he was cornered even though there was an empty hallway behind him.

Levi's chest heaved.

"I don't hate you for liking me." He said quietly, looking at the wall next to him instead of the problem in front of him. "But…but I…"

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud, annoying chime came from Levi's room.

Levi's eyes met Eren's, wide and mortified. It was as if the phone call shook him out of a stupor; stopped him from doing something mad.

Eren bit his bottom lip, waiting to see if Levi would continue, or walk away.

"I need to take that." Levi said, quickly turning around and going back to his room.

He slammed the door behind him, leaving Eren alone in the hallway.

Eren smiled bitterly, suddenly feeling suffocated and unwelcomed. He turned around slowly, walking down the hallway with unbalanced steps. He laughed dryly, not in happiness or mirth.

When he reached the living room, he looked around. Levi was right, it was a mess. Eren had some of this clothes lying on the floor, the coffee table was littered in trash and eraser shavings, and his blanket he used every night was wrinkled and unfolded.

He suddenly got the feeling that he really, really did not want to sit in that living room another second. He was tired of being prisoner there, looking at the same wall, the same television, the same couch, every second of his life. He was tired of thinking; especially about Levi.

Eren wished Levi's phone hadn't ringed. He wanted to hear what he had to say. He didn't hate Eren for liking him, but…

But what?

He'd probably never know now.

Eren turned back around and walked into the kitchen. He didn't bother to turn the light on, preferring the darkness the way it was. He walked to the small table by the window and sat down.

The blinds were still wide open, and Eren could see the city. Rain was coming down in heavy sheets, making pedestrians scatter from one place to another, and traffic jams even worse since no one wanted to speed during a storm.

There was a flash of lightening, and Eren could see more people scatter, and more cars lurch forward in traffic. He wished he could be one of those pedestrians, running from point A to point B. He wished he could be doing something with himself instead of remaining stagnant, lost, and purposeless.

Maybe he was being melodramatic, but that was how he felt. He was cooped up, and just wanted to get out. But Levi was leaving in the morning, and he'd be going to stay with Petra; she was most likely to keep Eren on house arrest.

After a few more minutes of gazing and daydreaming, Eren got up from the table, and headed back towards the living room. He needed to go ahead and pack his stuff for his early leave. He wondered if he was allowed to take _Titanfall_ with him, but he sure as hell wasn't going to go down the hallway and ask Levi if he could.

Levi's laptop was sitting on the table. Eren would leave that there for Levi to pick up on his own time. He didn't bother folding up his clothes as he stuffed them in his duffle bag.

He went to the bathroom to grab his toiletries, and looked at Levi's door. The light was on, and he could hear Levi's voice muffled through the door; he was still on the phone.

While Eren was getting all his things out of the bathroom, he remembered the night he walked in on Levi, fresh out of the shower and stark naked. Even now, with everything going to shit, Eren couldn't help himself from feeling a small shiver travel up his spine at the thought of it, and it disgusted him.

He quickly left the bathroom, and walked back down the hall. When he reached his other bag, he started throwing his belongings in there, taking out his frustration on his bottle of shampoo and tube of toothpaste.

He was rummaging around, making sure he had everything that he brought with him from home, and slowed his pace when he pulled out a box.

Condoms.

Eren bit his lip and threw those back in the bag. Stupid. He knew he would never need them. Shame for thinking he ever would.

He zipped up his bags and plopped back down on the couch; never mind changing into sleeping clothes. He just sat there and let his mind run over the same scene over and over again.

'_You are a pain, and a distraction. I didn't want you here. I didn't want this responsibility.'_

Eren closed his eyes tightly.

'_It doesn't matter what you feel for me, or what I feel at all. It doesn't matter because I cannot do anything about it!'_

Eren wanted to pretend. He wanted to pretend that there was more to that than Levi was letting on. That maybe, just perhaps, Levi _was_ feeling something too, but he had already decided not to act on it.

Eren huffed. Wouldn't that be nice? Wouldn't it be great to find out that he wasn't alone in this, that his feelings were right; Levi did care, and he returned those feelings?

But according to the older man, that didn't matter. Feelings, in this circumstance, didn't matter, because he couldn't do anything about them. He couldn't act on them. And Eren was so desperate to believe he was right that any reasoning his mind could manifest would satisfy him at this point.

Eren bit his lip again, as if that action could help him hold in his feelings. He wanted to do something, but he didn't know what. He wanted to go back to Levi and demand answers, yet he wanted to stay right where he was. He wanted to sleep, but he didn't want any more nightmares. He wanted to go home, but then he'd be away from Levi.

Sometimes he wished this situation had never happened, but then he would have never met Levi in the first place.


	11. Chapter 11

Truthfully, Levi hated flying.

He wasn't exactly sure if it was a fear. No, he didn't fear heights. Maybe he feared falling, or crashing. Possibly dying. It was funny how such thoughts never came up until the situation was at hand.

Erwin knew Levi hated planes, as he would complain every now and then about cabin pressure and crappy airline food. Even though they flew first class, Levi still found something to complain about. Erwin would only smirk, knowing that that was how Levi expressed his irritation; making comments about the cleanliness and comfort level in the cabin.

But during today's flight, Levi was quiet. He hadn't made a single remark, and that was highly unlike him. His expression looked no different from any other day, Erwin concluded, but his posture was different. Typically, Levi sat with one leg crossed over at the knee, both arms on the armrests with his back straight.

Erwin looked up from his tablet and cup of coffee at the man sitting across from him. Levi was looking out the window, arms crossed over his chest, and both feet flat on the ground.

They had been flying for four hours, and in that time, Erwin had already managed to finish reading a book he had been working on, take a nap, and finish five word search puzzles.

And in everything he was doing, Levi was doing the exact same thing he was now.

"You're moping." Erwin said, setting his coffee cup on the small wooden place table in front of him.

Levi made some sort of noise in the back of his throat, but said nothing.

Erwin furrowed his eyebrows. "If you're upset with me, I apologize."

Levi rolled his eyes and sighed. This was why their relationship was confusing sometimes. Being best friends and then having to go to a boss-and-subordinate setting was difficult to keep up with.

"Not everything is about you." Levi said, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair.

Erwin chuckled. "And here I was thinking the universe was formed around me."

"I don't doubt it." Levi retorted.

Silence followed, and Levi hoped he could slip off into some sort of resting state without Erwin trying to talk to him. But the universe was hardly ever kind, and Erwin did exactly that.

"Levi."

Levi opened an eye, and lifted his head.

"How did Eren take the news?"

Levi immediately closed his eye and shrugged.

"He took it fine." He said, gulping. "Not too enthusiastic."

Erwin hummed. "He's a good kid."

Levi cringed at the word 'kid.' He didn't need to be reminded…

"Hopefully this won't all be for naught." Erwin said, looking out the small window at the sea of clouds.

Levi forced a smirk. "Does the great Erwin Smith doubt himself? I thought I'd never see the day."

Erwin shook his head quickly. "No. Not that."

Levi opened his eyes. Erwin's tone of voice had taken a more serious turn.

"Then what's wrong?" He asked.

Erwin shifted a little, pulling his pale blue button up shirt over his chest a little. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, so Levi could see that he was flexing his hands by the bunching up of muscles in his forearms.

"What is wrong?" He asked again, leaning forward in his seat.

"I could ask you the same thing." Erwin said, turning towards Levi.

Levi lowered his eyes. "Nothing's wrong with me. What the hell's wrong with you? You're tense."

"So are you."

"Not as much as you."

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that."

Levi sighed loudly. He hated when Erwin did this. It wouldn't kill the man to be fucking direct sometimes.

"I'm not doing this with you today." Levi said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "I was trying to help, that's all."

"What is your affiliation with Eren Jaeger?"

He didn't mean to, he really didn't, but Levi's eyes widened and his throat closed a bit, making any opportunity to shoot out a quick-witted remark impossible.

Erwin nodded. "I see."

Levi slapped both hands down in his lap. "What are you talking about?"

Erwin bit his bottom lip before responding. "Ever since I housed him with you, you've been different."

Levi fought the strong urge to let out a string of curses. Of course the most observant man on the planet could tell he was a little more on edge than necessary.

"Taking care of a teenager is hard." Levi answered. "Especially when that teen is emotional and brash."

"Just what have you and Eren gotten into for you to determine that he is emotional and brash?"

Levi gulped. "I hate when you do this detective shit with me. You've been doing it ever sense we met."

Now Erwin's eyes widened.

There was a short silence between them, and then Erwin spoke.

"When we met, it was under different circumstances in which I had to do my job respectively. Now, I'm just trying to do my job as a friend."

Levi stood up abruptly. "I'm going to the bathroom." He said. Erwin didn't stop him.

He hated planes, and he hated the pseudo-restrooms on them too. He just knew deep down that they weren't properly cleaned, no matter how much it smelled like Lysol and wax.

He stepped from behind the dark blue curtain that separated the men from the boys (first class and regular), and hung his head as he shifted between the aisle, trying not to touch anyone.

There was a crying child somewhere, and he inwardly sighed. He hated this.

When he made it through the valley of death, he said excuse me to a stewardess with way too much perfume on, and slid open the bathroom door.

He closed it behind him, and locked it. When he looked in the mirror, he could tell why Erwin was asking him what was wrong. His eyes were sporting a more sleep deprived look than normal. Erwin knew he had insomnia, so he knew what Levi looked like on a day to day basis.

He placed his hands on either sides of the white sink and breathed deeply. He tried to force the thoughts out of his head that this was packaged air he was breathing, and nothing real.

_Nothing real_.

He also wanted to stop connecting everything in his life with Eren Jaeger. But that was impossible. The idiot had forced himself in his life through a series of unfortunate events and left an imprint that was sure to make Levi crazy.

He hadn't slept, he barely ate, and when he did it wasn't anything more than a few fruits or vegetables. He was absentminded at work and out of place in his own home.

_Nothing real_.

He was trying to convince himself that maybe, just maybe he was suffering from some type of extreme loneliness, and that he was only enjoying Eren's company like a lonely person would. But trying to accept that would mean that he'd be denying that he felt anything for Eren at all.

'_I like you. And I know you know that. I just fucking told you! But what I hate is that you know this, and ignore it. You can't tell me, Levi. You can't fucking tell me all that time we spent together, and all the looks and conversations meant absolutely nothing.'_

And what he felt was very much real.

Eren was bold, fearless it seemed. He had enough balls to tell him to his face how he felt, but Levi couldn't. He had resigned himself to the fact that someone had to be the adult in the whole fucked up situation, and who better to be the adult than the actual adult.

Levi gritted his teeth and clenched and unclenched his fists. He had been _so_ close, _so close_ to telling Eren how he felt.

'_I don't hate you for liking me. But…but I…'_

"I can't do anything about the fact that I like you too, Eren." Levi whispered in the small makeshift bathroom.

He unclenched his fists and decided to actually pee and go back. He had been gone long enough. Erwin probably thought he left to get away from their conversation, which he did.

Levi knew two things. He knew that if he told Erwin everything, absolutely everything, the man wouldn't freak. Erwin never freaked.

Erwin wouldn't do anything. He'd impart his thirty-two years of wisdom and probably tell him that he was just lonely. It's not like he'd judge him to be a creeper. Erwin, his friend, wouldn't do that.

Erwin, his boss, wouldn't do anything except ensure that Levi would never have to see Eren again, thinking that would be best for him on the grounds that Eren wasn't even fucking legal and Levi was twenty-seven and a law enforcer.

Which is exactly why he wasn't going to tell Erwin anything. It'd be better to let the man work things out on his own, which he probably already had, and act on that. Anything that Erwin did as his boss was not up to him, and it wouldn't be because of him. It would be on his own volition.

The walk back to first class was shorter than the walk away from it, and Levi found Erwin exactly as he had left him; looking out the window with a furrowed expression.

"Has the glasses freak contacted you yet?" He asked, deciding a change of topic was in order.

"Not since you last night." Erwin answered. "We'll be staying in the same hotel, but on a different floor. Pixis is supposed to be coming to get her in the next few days to take her back to his laboratory, or whatever he called it."

Levi's expression turned solemn. "Laboratory?"

Erwin sighed. "I think this case is more than we originally bargained for. Hanji said that we would discuss everything in person instead of using technology."

Levi nodded.

He took a few more minutes to contemplate, and then spoke.

"She's a major in the human body." Levi said, knowing that was a broad description. "And people in Hannover have been going missing. People back home have been getting killed, people specifically affiliated with Dr. Jaeger."

"You and Eren were followed." Erwin pointed out, much to Levi's annoyance. "This is a dangerous situation for everyone involved."

Levi swallowed. He had a fleeting thought, very fleeting, that what if something bad happened to Eren? What if they'd arrive in Hannover only to receive a call from home that Eren met the same fate as the women that worked with Grisha Jaeger?

He quickly shook his head, dismissing that thought entirely. Petra was qualified; Eren would be fine. He had to be. He had a whole life to live, and whatever was going on had nothing to do with him.

"Do you think Dr. Jaeger is still alive?" Levi asked.

Erwin nodded. "Yes. I have a good feeling."

Levi wanted to make a comment about how this line of work had to have more substantial ground than a 'feeling', but Erwin's intuition was like gospel.

He thought about what would happen to Eren if Erwin's feeling was, in fact, wrong. Armin's grandfather would surely take him in. But that would be a tough pill to swallow. Losing a parent at such a young age could prove damaging. Levi knew that all too well. Losing a parent at any time was hard.

"Well," Levi sighed, adjusting himself in his chair again. "I just hope you're feeling is correct."

Petra Ral lived in a nice town house outside the main part of the city, unlike Levi's apartment which was in the heart.

Petra came to Levi's apartment before the sun was up to take Eren.

Eren had only fallen asleep on the couch out of pure exhaustion. When he had finally opened his eyes again, Levi was at the front door, already dressed in his work attire, greeting Petra and gesturing her to come inside.

Petra smiled wide when she saw Eren, and Eren sat up sleepily, trying desperately to hold the fake smile he was returning.

"Sorry to wake you so early," She said, already starting to pick up one of Eren's duffle bags. "But Levi has to leave soon."

He hated to admit it, but he was on the verge of tears. He could feel it. His eyes stung, and his throat was tight. He grabbed his blanket that he brought from home and began folding it. Petra started talking about his online classes, saying that it would be easier for her to help now that they'd be living together.

Levi was still standing by the front door, a rather different look on his face than usual. The only time Eren had seen that look on his face was when he was playing _Titanfall_. He looked focused and unbothered.

He was probably glad to be getting rid of him.

When there was nothing left to gather together, Petra started walking towards the front door. Eren followed.

"Good luck." She said, nodding at Levi.

Levi nodded in return, eyes everywhere but on Eren.

"Well, we're off." Petra said, walking past the threshold. "Let's get going, Eren. My place takes a while to get to from here, and the weather still looks kind of bad."

Eren nodded even though Petra's back was turned to him. He decided to take the initiative and speak first.

"Bye," He said, eyes locked on Levi's. "And be safe."

He saw Levi gulp.

"And thanks for looking after me." Eren said. He felt his guard starting to slip, and he quickly looked away and followed Petra.

He didn't look back.

Eren thought over all of this while he was in the guest bedroom of Petra's town house. There were no windows, like there was in Levi's living room. The walls were plain white, and not that soft crème color he was used to seeing every day. There was a small closet where he already stowed away his duffle bags.

There was a twin sized bed with an ugly quilt lying on the top of it. Eren didn't move it. He grabbed his own blanket and laid on top of the quilt.

Petra had to go to work, but she said that she would be home around two o'clock.

After she left, he went to his new room and tried to sleep. The attempt was unsuccessful, and now he was feeling irritable.

Every moment he spent awake was spent thinking of everything that had happened over the course of the past few weeks, and Levi. Even if he slept, he faced the possibility of having another nightmare, which also could include Levi.

Either way, whatever he did, Levi was in his mind, and that was disheartening since the man felt nothing for him.

Their conversation last night, right before the phone rang, right before Levi walked away, he was saying something.

'_I don't hate you for liking me. But…but I…'_

Eren felt like whatever else Levi was going to say would have been the answer to his question. The word 'but' usually signified that there was an opposite side right around the corner.

Eren knew he was being brave, and he knew he was taking a risk. He was well aware that the chances that Levi felt the same way were slim. He felt like an idiot because he misinterpreted everything Levi did. The conversations were just to help him feel welcomed and take his mind off the situation he was in. The consol, the game, the cooking, the French lessons, taking him to the gym; Levi was only being nice.

And Eren fucked that up by taking it the wrong way.

He sighed, and rolled out of bed. He was wearing a faded band t-shirt and his boxers. He made a mental note to put pants on before Petra got home.

He picked his cell phone up off the floor, and crossed the carpeted bedroom floor with bare feet.

Petra's bedroom was across from his. The town house had two bathrooms, but the only one with a shower was in Petra's room. She told him never to hesitate to use it.

He walked down the length of stairs to the first floor. The hallway leading to the living room was coated with brown tile. He walked down the short hall and looked around the living room. It was small, but cozy. There was one couch that was facing a large television, and a plush looking chair adjacent to the couch.

He walked behind the couch and into the kitchen. It was plain, but Eren supposed that was just fine for one person.

As if on cue, his stomach growled. Eren frowned; he hadn't really been eating that much lately. He walked to the fridge and opened it.

There was two six packs of soda, and the rest was standard ingredients for a kitchen. Eren closed the fridge and opened the freezer.

It was a teenagers dream.

There were small frozen pizzas, pizza rolls, egg rolls, two tubs of ice cream, and other frozen foods that could be heated up in five minutes or less.

For the first time in a long time, Eren smiled genuinely. Then, he spotted the small pantry door to the left of the fridge, and opened that too.

Stacks of ramen noodles.

"Hell yes." Eren mumbled. He closed the freezer and decided that noodles for right now would do. He hoped Petra wouldn't mind him using any of her pots.

He moved around in the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards until he found the one under the sink that contained all her pots and pans.

He picked the smallest one he could find and began going through the rounds of how he made his noodles.

He put water in the pot, along with the block of noodles, and carefully turned on the stove so they would begin to boil.

Eren bit his bottom lip, wondering what he should do while he waited. He looked at his phone that he hadn't bothered to turn on in days. There really was no point of having it on since he couldn't talk to anyone and vice versa.

No one had contacted him since Connie, and he briefly wondered if Armin and Mikasa tipped them off that he couldn't speak to them in his current situation.

He missed them so much it hurt. He missed his dad, and he worried for him.

For weeks, Eren had been trying to prepare himself for the worst. The worst being his father was no longer alive. Just the thought of that becoming reality made his heart sink.

It would change his life forever.

Levi also hated airports.

He said this as they were exiting their plane, and Erwin only laughed.

It was always too many people and too much noise.

Levi expressed that he wanted to gather their bags and leave as soon as possible, but Erwin was looking around with shifty eyes, as if he was trying to find someone.

"Who are you looking for? Hanji?" Levi asked, standing next to his suitcase.

"No." Erwin sighed, still looking. "I'm looking for," He broke off and smiled tightly, "her."

Levi, much to his chagrin, was too short to see over other people's heads to where Erwin was looking, but he quickly followed once the man grabbed his own luggage and started walking.

They reached a short, blond woman with silver rimmed glasses and a pressed, black skirt suit. She, too, was looking around the airport as if she was trying to find someone.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Erwin said with this most charming smile in his most charming tone.

The woman looked at him with an intrigued expression. "Yes?"

"Do you know how to get to the closest grocery store?" He asked. Levi was looking back and forth between them, already catching on to what was happening.

"No." The woman answered. "I'm only interested in souvenir shops."

Then she smiled as well, and Erwin extended a hand.

"Erwin Smith."

"I know who you are." She said, pulling back her hand. "I'm Rico Brzenska. You can just call me Rico."

Erwin nodded and turned to Levi. "This is the man I was talking about. Levi Ackerman."

Levi's jaw set. Erwin knew better than to use his full name in public.

"Nice to meet you." Rico said, extending her hand in Levi's direction. He didn't take it.

"He's also as rude as you warned he might be." She said, looking away. "Let's not waste time."

Erwin laughed, and they both began following her out of the airport.

"Who the hell is she?" Levi said.

"She also works for Geheimnis, although she is still fairly new."

"And you used my last name because?"

"I've already told them all about you." Erwin said, still looking forward. "No use in hiding."

Levi cursed. "Who is them?"

"You will find out soon."

Levi rolled his eyes. They had just arrived in Hannover and he was already annoyed. It was evening time here and he just wanted to eat a decent meal and lie down. He didn't want to deal with all this vague shit.

He wondered why he even let Erwin talk him into taking this job in the first place. He hadn't been in serious hand-to-hand combat in a long time, as it was never necessary for him anymore. Hopefully he wouldn't actually have to use it.

But that's why he was here. That's why Erwin chose him. He suspected that things would get ugly, so that meant things would get ugly. They were horrible already.

Rico was leading them to a parked, black SUV in the pick-up lane. Levi noticed the airport was located to a beautiful skyline; one that you couldn't see while living in the city.

Maybe he should take a vacation.

Rico knocked on the tinted window on the passenger side, and suddenly the trunk door popped open.

Erwin started to load his bags in the back and Levi followed. Rico had already gotten in the front seat.

"You want the left or right side?" Erwin said, slamming the trunk shut.

Levi smirked. "Right. Because I'm always right."

Erwin laughed, and they did just that.

At first, no one spoke. Rico was making a phone call and saying something in German.

Levi looked at Erwin with expecting eyes.

"She's confirming our room for us." Erwin said.

When she ended her call, she cleared her throat.

"We're going to your hotel now. Hanji agreed to meet us in the lobby. Once you two drop off your things, we'll go to the meeting."

Levi sat forward. "What meeting?"

Erwin spoke. "It'll just be me, you, Hanji, Rico, and," he paused and leaned forward to the driver, "I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"Jarnach. Mitabi Jarnach."

"And mister Jarnach here." Erwin finished.

"And of course, Shadis." Rico added.

"Well, of course." Erwin said.

"Who is Shadis?" Levi asked. He didn't care that he was asking a lot of questions. Erwin didn't tell him anything prior.

"The leader of Geheimnis." Erwin stated.

Levi wanted make a snarky comment about Erwin being a subaltern to someone else, but then and there wasn't really appropriate. Later.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. Levi suspected that anything that needed to be said would be said at the meeting later.

Hannover was beautiful. Even though they were in the city, there was still an ancient and untouched feeling the place evoked. Levi stared out his window with a hand under his chin, steel eyes taking in as much as he could around him. Being out of the States was a refreshing feeling.

He shifted his gaze upward and looked at the horizon again. The sun was beginning to set, painting each tall, glass building and aged mosque in striking colors of oranges and reds, making the people that walked along look pale.

The traffic didn't seem any different than from home, and Levi smirked when he saw the garden square where Hanji briefly mentioned the giant paper mache tarantulas.

Turns out that garden square was directly across the road from their hotel. The building was tall and slender, stone and gargoyles; it was so nice that Levi really began considering taking a vacation once this whole situation was said and done.

He thought of Eren, and how he said he wanted to travel. Eren could speak German, he would get along nicely here if he took a trip. His tan skin would make him stand out.

"Levi."

Levi looked at Erwin. The man was staring back at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"What?"

"I asked if you were feeling alright. No jet lag or anything?"

"I'm fine." He responded. "Just tired."

That wasn't entirely a lie, but then again, Levi was always tired.

"Jarnach will help you take your luggage up." Rico said, typing something away on her phone. "Hopefully, Hanji will be waiting in the lobby."

Erwin opened his door and Levi did the same. The Jarnach man had already gotten out of the car, opening the trunk and pulling out suitcases.

When Levi closed the door behind him, he took a deep breath. The air around him was clean and easy to breath. There was a lingering scent of fresh bread that made him think of home. Not his home in the States.

He shook his head and walked around to start pulling his suitcase in. Erwin had a suitcase and two extra bags with him. They were probably hair care products and his special blow dryer and brow shaper.

They pulled their things along the sidewalk, nodding at the doorman in the generic buttoned coat and hat, and went inside.

The hotel lobby was even more extravagant than Levi expected. There were two glass elevators in front of them, and a large fountain with an angel in the center in the middlemost part of the lounge. The floors were marble with traces of gold décor, and there was a coffee and souvenir shop.

Levi wanted to vacation.

Erwin followed Jarnach to the left to where the desk was located. Levi scanned the area for Hanji, but couldn't find them.

While Erwin was checking them in, Levi rolled his eyes as he heard Hanji before he saw.

"Yoohoo!"

Levi frowned, because who said 'yoohoo' anymore as a greeting or anything else in conversation.

Erwin turned around and smiled. "Dr. Zoe."

"Please, please, just call me Hanji." They said with a bright smile. "You must be Jarnach?"

Jarnach smiled, albeit awkwardly. "Yes ma'am."

"Just call me Hanji." They stated again kindly. Finally, they turned to look at Levi. Hanji's eyes widened and her expression went blank as she looked at him.

Levi scowled. "What are you looking at?"

Hanji stepped forward quickly, making Levi flinch with their speed, and he felt a hand on the top of his head.

Erwin covered his mouth with his hand, trying desperately and failing at not trying to laugh. Jarnach was still smiling tightly and awkwardly, like he couldn't decide how to act around them. Levi felt hot.

"You _are_ short!"

Erwin stopped trying to not laugh and laughed anyway. Jarnach hung his head and smiled. Levi smacked Hanji's hand away and smoothed down his hair.

"Do _not_ touch me ever again."

Hanji moved back a bit. "Okay, okay. Everything's fine, Levi. I didn't mean to set your teapot on fire."

Levi shook his head and sighed. He didn't even know what that meant and he didn't care. He just wanted to get to his room.

"Can we go now?" He sounded very bratty at the moment, he could admit without shame.

"Alright. It looks like we're on the floor above Hanji's."

They all walked to an elevator, and Hanji started spouting something about glass elevators and when they really started becoming popular. Levi took that time to ignore them and look behind him.

The whole lounge area was visible and even nicer to look at from an aerial view. The water in the angel fountain was bubbly, and Levi felt the urge to take a bath.

When the elevator pinged, Levi turned back around and followed the other three out and down the hall. The hallways were quiet, and Hanji was talking so loud Levi could swear there was an echo. They reached a room, Room 0134, and Erwin slid the card through the slot, granting them access to the room.

One of the first things Levi planned to do when he got the time was go to maintenance and ask for some cleaning supplies, because he did not trust cleaning ladies. They'd probably look at him weird, but they didn't understand the severity of the situation.

There were two beds, nicely sized for anyone to sleep in, a large flat screen TV, a balcony, and a small bathroom that Levi planned to start cleaning first.

There was a small greeting card that said _'Welcome to the Fora Hotel'_, accompanied with towels and mints.

"I have paperwork I need to gather to take to the meeting tonight, so I'll meet you two in the lobby at seven to leave." Hanji said, picking up one of Erwin's mints.

"Alright." Erwin said, already over by the balcony looking out the curtains.

Jarnach cleared his throat. "I'm sure you already know this, but technically you are on a secret business trip, therefore there should be limited to no contact with anyone except our immediate group. Also, no social media posting or updating."

Erwin laughed deeply. "I suppose we've dropped off the face of the earth."

Levi set his suitcase in between their two beds. "So this is what this feels like."

Jarnach nodded. "We will be back around seven." He turned around to leave and Hanji followed him, stretching their arms as they went along.

"See you later, Erwin and _Levi_."

Erwin waved with a smirk on his face, and Levi just stared. Once the door closed behind them, Levi spoke first.

"I'm going to get sick of Hanji, really fast."

"Hopefully we won't be here long." Erwin said with a sigh, still looking out the curtain.

Levi watched him. He watched how he crossed his arms over his chest and stared. There was a look in his eyes what one could describe as wistful.

"This place familiar to you?" He asked, sitting on the edge of his bed.

Erwin didn't look at him. "I've only been in Hannover once before. That was a long time ago."

There was something in his voice that caught Levi's interest. As close as they were, Levi barely knew anything about Erwin's past. Sometimes he thought it wasn't fair, considering Erwin knew everything about him, but Levi didn't really give up that information voluntarily. Either way, Erwin kept his past private.

"When was that?"

"When I was twenty-two."

Levi thought for a moment. "About ten years ago. I suppose this was before you found me."

Erwin nodded and hummed. "I hadn't been outside of Germany. I was vacationing here with a few friends."

Levi huffed. "You have friends?"

Erwin laughed, but it was sad. "We don't talk anymore, but back then, things were very different for me, as they were for you."

Levi placed his hands behind his head and lay flat on the bed, feet still off the edge. "Was there a woman in your life then?"

When he didn't get an answer immediately, he turned his head and looked over. Erwin was still wearing a smile, and it was still sad.

"There was."

Levi grinned. "Now this is something I didn't know."

Erwin shook his head and walked away from the balcony. "Not worth mentioning now."

"Did you love her?"

Erwin sat on his bed and laid back just as Levi was lying. "I did."

"What happened?"

"I left."

"Because of me?"

Erwin looked over at Levi, an interested gleam in his eyes. "It's like we were predestined."

Levi sighed. "Not like either one of us fucking planned it."

"I'm sure she's met someone else by now." Erwin continued. "I knew that would happen when I left. It's not like she didn't know I wasn't coming back."

"Do you regret it?" Levi asked quickly.

"No." Erwin said clearly. "I try not to live with regrets."

Levi looked away and stared at the pure white ceiling.

"No regrets, huh?"

Erwin hummed. "I apologize if you think I didn't give you a choice."

Levi closed his eyes. "You really didn't."

"You could have said no. You could have stayed. We could have pretended like we never met each other and go about our own business."

"Except you knew," Levi began, turning on his side and looking at Erwin, "that I wasn't going to do that."

"Well, when you have people you care for, you find yourself doing things you wouldn't normally do."

"Plus, I was a wanted man anyway." Levi added. "Your option was the best one for everyone."

"Do you regret it?" Erwin asked, looking over at Levi. "Do you regret leaving them?"

"They're fine now." Levi said. "They're safe, and that's all I ever wanted for them. How I feel doesn't matter."

"It does." Erwin said. "You're a person too, Levi. You feel things."

Levi didn't know why he began thinking of Eren then, but he needed to stop. This conversation was dangerously close to the argument they had the night before.

"I'm sorry about earlier." Levi said. "On the plane, when I took a stab at you and your profession, I'm sorry."

Erwin laughed. "I didn't take it personally. I shouldn't pry on your private life."

Levi's heart beat sped up, and he swallowed.

Erwin looked at him again, a knowing look in his eyes. Levi shook his head curtly, not wanting to believe that he knew a single thing.

"You can tell me, you know."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Levi said, looking at the ceiling again.

"Levi, I wasn't born yesterday."

"I know that. You're old as shit, Erwin."

"And Eren is young."

Levi sat up on the edge of the bed again, not daring to look over. He could ignore this, or argue it. He was good at deceiving people with his tone of voice and expression, but for some reason, Erwin was different.

"Erwin…"

"He'll be eighteen in March."

Levi broke his vow and snapped his head to the right, looking at Erwin with a startled expression.

"Erwin, what the hell?"

"He's cute. Nice kid. You obviously like him."

Levi choked. "Okay, first, to lessen the fucked up degree of this conversation, don't call him a kid. Second, it is not obvious! Who said anything about liking anyone?"

"Does he like you?"

"Yes, but…"

"Do you like him?"

Levi stopped breathing. Erwin grinned.

"Just give it up, Levi. I know you."

Levi wanted to protest badly, he wanted to stand up and shout that Erwin didn't know a damn thing and that it was not okay for anyone to be liking anyone in this situation, but he was high tired of lying to himself and others.

He placed his hands on his face and groaned loudly. "Fuck you, Erwin."

Erwin laughed heartily. "So I'm being insulted because I know the truth?"

"I don't see how you know."

Erwin sat up and looked at Levi incredulously. "You hardly smile. You don't stare at the wall with a longing look in your eyes. You've never cared so much about a case before. You never disobey my orders. For some reason, when I put Eren with you, you smiled more, and you stared into the distance more often, and you constantly asked questions about this case and the well beings of everyone involved, and you broke my number one rule and went against my orders, which was to _not_ take Eren out of the apartment. You did all of that and expect me not to pick up on it? Honestly, Levi, you're not as invisible as you'd like to think."

Levi was fixated on Erwin's expression. The man almost looked offended.

Then, to both their surprise, Levi laughed. He laughed, and laughed, and threw himself back on the bed and continued laughing. Soon Erwin joined him, and it was a room full of deep laughter and sighing.

Levi couldn't say anything for a while, everything was still settling in. Erwin knew. He knew a long time ago. He wasn't being as slick as he thought.

"Don't start thinking you know me or anything." He finally said, mirth still in his voice.

Erwin grinned. "You've been so distant with me the past month that Eren probably knows you better than I do."


	12. Chapter 12

When seven rolled around, Levi and Erwin followed Jarnach, who had come to retrieve them, to the lobby.

As she said earlier, Hanji was already waiting in the lobby, dressed casually in a tope colored coat, and a brown file holder in her hands.

"Are we ready?" She asked. Levi thought she sounded like a tour guide, but didn't comment. Erwin nodded, and the four of them walked out the revolving doors of the hotel.

When they had reached the hotel, the sun was still out, but setting. Now, it was dark, and there were more stars out than Levi thought he'd ever seen back home in the city.

"There's enough space in this SUV, right?" Hanji asked to no one in particular. "I don't wanna have to lap up."

Erwin pursed his lips to keep from laughing, Levi noticed. It seemed that Erwin had a hard time not laughing at Hanji's antics, and Levi wasn't sure what that meant.

"There is enough space, ma'am." Jarnach answered, opening the car door.

"Oh, I said to just call me Hanji." She said enthusiastically, getting in the SUV first.

Erwin looked back at Levi and raised an eyebrow. Levi's face dropped.

"I'm not sitting next to Hanji."

Erwin smirked and was the second to slide in.

Levi knew he was the smallest or something like that. It would have made more sense for him to sit in the middle, but he really didn't want to be pushed up against Hanji. Erwin would just have to deal. It was his fault for being so big.

Rico was in the passenger seat once again, dressed in something much more casual looking than the pencil skirt and blazer she was in at the airport.

"Everyone have everything they need?" She called towards the back.

"Yep!" Hanji answered.

Levi was pretty sure there was nothing he needed to bring but his person, but he looked at Erwin expectantly, and Erwin only shook his head.

"Okay. Jarnach," Rico gestured. The man nodded curtly and started up the SUV, carefully pulling away from the parking zone on the street and into the evening traffic.

The lights in the city seemed to glow orange from the street lanterns and white from the buildings. Hanji was describing something or another about the city, but Levi wasn't really trying to listen. He was interested in the appearance of the area around him rather than the history, and he definitely didn't want to listen to a dialogue from the only person talking in the vehicle.

When Levi looked back over, Erwin was leaned towards Hanji, occasionally nodding and pretending to be interested in what she was saying. Although, Levi wasn't really sure if he was pretending.

Jarnach continued to drive so carefully that Levi was wondering if the man was nervous to be driving this many people around. Hanji was still talking, Erwin was intent on listening, and Rico was typing away at her phone.

Levi resumed looking out his window, and he thought about Eren. He'd love to see this place, in all its ancient yet modern grandeur.

He remembered listening to Eren talk about how he wanted to travel, and how Germany was one of the first places he wanted to explore. He said he was interested in his 'homeland' and the food there, but he was most excited to practice speaking the language with the commoners.

Levi briefly, very briefly, considered sending him a picture of the tall telecommunication tower with all its purple lights, but he broke that off really quick.

There was no reason he needed to be in contact with Eren, and not just because he wasn't permitted to, but because he'd drawn a line between him and Eren when he left his apartment, and that was final.

He thought back to the earlier conversation with Erwin in their hotel room. Erwin knew. He knew, and was, oddly, alright with it. He just knew that there were limitations on the situation at hand, and work came first as always.

"_You've been so distant with me the past month that Eren probably knows you better than I do."_

Levi wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he just didn't. He hummed, and he and Erwin laid in silence until it was time to leave.

What did Eren know about him, anyway? He knew he was born in France, left when he was around the same age, and began working in law enforcement. He knew what music he liked, what bands he listened to the most, and that he and Erwin played video games from time to time when they could.

That was the extent of it. In the time that Levi had with Eren, Eren knew little about Levi, and Levi knew more about Eren than he'd care to admit.

He'd seen more of Eren than he dared to think about in a car full of people.

Granted, Eren had seen more of him than he anticipated, but at least he didn't stand and watch…

"Levi?"

Levi snapped his head to his right. "What?"

It was Hanji. "I was asking if you had ever traveled before. Erwin here says he used to a long time ago. What of you?"

Levi squinted. Hanji looked sincere, and he answered.

"No."

Hanji hummed and nodded. "Not very fond of using his words, is he?" She asked Erwin, jabbing him in the side with a pointy elbow, making Levi roll his eyes and Erwin cough.

"It's alright. No need to be shy." Hanji continued, still looking over at Levi. "After all, looking at it in a technical sense, we're here to protect one another. So it'd be best to acquaint ourselves in the short amount of time we have together. Deal?"

She extended a hand over Erwin's lap for Levi to shake.

Levi shook his head. "That's fine, and since we're talking about acquainting and things of _that_ sort, one of the first things you should know about me is that I really do not like shaking hands."

It took a moment, but Hanji laughed. She was one of those people that laughed loudly.

"_Oh_, he's so cute, Erwin." She giggled. "I know we'll get along just fine."

Levi could feel his face heating, and not in embarrassment or any _cute_ shit like that.

Erwin intervened. "Ahem, excuse me you two, I'm just going to ask Miss Rico here a question. Ah, Rico, where exactly are we going?"

"We're going to das U-Bahn Restaurant."

Erwin and Hanji hummed in understanding and nodded at each other. Levi stared. Once again, it looked like he was the one left out of the loop.

"What does, eh, _das U-Bahn_ stand for?"

"The underground restaurant." Hanji answered with mystique.

Levi looked Erwin dead in the eyes. "Fitting."

Erwin smirked. "The irony."

888

Petra came home earlier than Eren expected, which wasn't too great, because he was in his boxers.

"Sorry." He apologized quickly when Petra walked into Eren's new room.

Eren had been lying on the bed playing games on his phone, although that was only taking half of his attention. His mind was on a different subject entirely.

Petra laughed. "It's alright. I'm glad you already feel comfortable enough to not wear pants. Wait…that sounded really bad. You know what I mean."

Eren smiled. He was glad he could feel relaxed around Petra, otherwise this whole set up would be really awkward.

"I'm sorry to interrupt…" Petra paused and waved a hand, "whatever you're doing, but my good co-workers are down stairs, and I'd like for you to meet them."

Eren's eyes expanded. "Oh, um, alright. Let me just…put on pants."

Petra grinned. "Take your time."

With that, she closed the door behind her, leaving Eren to dress.

Eren hadn't really met anyone else from Levi's job except Erwin and Petra. That one day when they were being followed (he hated to think of that), there was another man standing in the parking lot with Petra when Levi had pulled in. What was his name? Arthur? Arnold?

"Archibald?" Eren asked aloud, then he realized how dumb that sounded and cursed himself.

He grabbed a pair of clean jeans out of the suitcase he planned to be living out of, and shrugged them on.

He heard laughter and a few curses when he padded down the stairs. There were a few dishes clanging, and Eren wondered if Petra was going to make something for her co-workers to eat.

He turned the corner and walked through the small living room and into the kitchen.

Petra was at the counter pouring some Jack Daniels into three drinking glasses. There were two men sitting at the miniature dining table, and both turned to look at Eren as he walked in.

"Well, if it isn't the Jaeger kid." One of them said. Eren recognized him as the one that was standing in the parking lot with Petra the day he and Levi were followed.

He looked mean, or that's what Eren thought. He seemed to be scrutinizing him through lidded eyes and a tongue settled between his teeth.

"Hello." Eren said to both men. The other one he didn't know. He looked nice, nicer than tongue guy anyway.

"Nice to meet you, Eren. My name's Gunter Schultz."

The man extended a hand, and Eren gladly took it and shook firmly.

"This is Auruo Bozado." Petra said softly, introducing him.

"That's Mister Bozado to you." Auruo said, taking the glass of liquor from Petra.

Gunter laughed behind his hand, and Petra rolled her eyes.

"Could you try to be at least a little kind?" Petra suggested.

Auruo tsked. "Why should I? This kid's case is taking up most of my time at work now. I miss being able to go home at four o'clock. Now I have to work late."

Gunter set his glass on the table after taking a sip and spoke. "Now, now, Auruo. You and I both know that when four o'clock hits, you leave work and head out to that same seedy bar on the edge of the city, but not without asking Petra if she'd like to drink with you."

Petra and Gunter both burst into laughter, and Eren felt it was safe to laugh too.

"Here, Eren." Petra gestured. "Have a seat."

The only seat available was one next to Auruo, but it was also next to Petra, so Eren felt secured.

Auruo cursed. "What the hell else am I supposed to do to wind down my day? Work is shitty and stressful."

"And you haven't quit." Petra countered, sipping on her drink.

"Yet." Auruo concluded.

"How do you like it here, Eren?" Gunter asked suddenly, turning in his direction.

Eren cleared his throat. "It's cool. There's a lot of junk food."

Petra laughed. "I bought that especially for you." She winked.

Auruo looked highly confused. "You bought him food?"

"Will you shut up!" Petra shouted. "Look at this. I fixed you a drink, _and_ I'm drinking with you, and you still cannot be satisfied."

The two engaged in a verbal battle that was mostly incoherent save for a few curse words here and there. Eren was trying not to laugh, and Gunter spoke to him again.

"This is how they communicate. Nothing serious."

"So, Eren." Auruo started slowly. "How are you handling all of this?"

Eren looked at him with a surprised expression. Petra scowled.

"Auruo, please."

"I'm only asking him because I care." He said to Petra while still looking at Eren. He took another loud sip from his cup and bared his teeth as it went down. "How are you handling all of this, Eren?"

Eren was not going to answer honestly. He didn't know these people that well, and he would never break down and tell them the truth to how he was feeling: scared, worried, lonely, and useless.

"I'm alright. I mean, it's hard, ya know? I want my dad to be okay."

"There's your answer, Auruo." Petra said. "Now drop it."

"I sure hope he is." Auruo continued, speaking to Eren. "It would really suck to go through all this forensics and camera work and traveling only to find him dead."

Gunter sighed. "Damnit, Auruo."

Eren gulped.

"What?" He said with feigned hurt. "I'm only reminding Eren here that this situation is a dangerous one. People have already died. We're all at risk now just from being around him."

"Auruo, shut the hell up." Petra said lowly. Her voice sounded threatening, and Auruo slowly but surely sat back in his chair and resumed drinking.

Petra sighed. "Eren, what he means to say is that this case is a fragile and complicated one, and everyone that's helping you out is possibly at risk. The people that worked closely with your father are dead, and you're not even allowed to step outside."

"However, the three of us, and Levi and Erwin are all going to do our best to find your father, no matter what. I'm sure you miss your own home," She said with a sad smile, "and your friends."

"We'll get you back to them, Eren." Gunter added, a hint of a smile on his face.

It took a short moment, but Eren smiled. It was a false one, and he couldn't ignore the twinge of anxiety in his chest.

888

The Underground restaurant was exactly what Levi expected it to be.

It was cramped, humid, and smoky. The dark brick walls were bedecked with artwork of various kinds, graphite signatures, and grease stains.

There was some Euro-trash music playing, and nearly everyone was smoking something or another. There was a pool table somewhere on the other side, Levi could tell from the familiar rap of the balls.

Their little group had to walk in a single file line through the maze-like aisles. Levi briefly glanced over the people at the booths on each side. There were people of all sorts gathered into this place, and they all cast weary eyes on Levi and the others as they walked by.

Levi frowned.

Rico was leading the line, and due to Levi's short stature, he couldn't see where they were going. He was at the end of the line and was following in their footsteps.

They came to a stop, and Levi spoke up.

"What's going on?"

Erwin turned around and looked at Levi as if he had almost forgotten he was there. "The room we'll be dining in."

"We made special arrangements." Hanji added, smiling impishly.

Levi looked at her warily (he was probably doing that a lot lately, oh well), and followed them as they all went through a small doorway.

The small-scale dining room looked like something out of a mob movie. It was a circular table covered with the tackiest dark green table cloth Levi had ever had the displeasure of seeing, the walls were fixed up with grotesque artwork of old revolutions, and there was a low hanging chandelier that swung ever so slightly.

There were five wooden chairs set around the table, and Rico had already taken hers.

"Jarnach, you may leave." She said flatly.

Jarnach nodded and turned around to exit the room.

"Where is he going?" Hanji asked, taking a seat next to Rico.

"Probably to the bar." Rico answered, checking her nails. "This isn't information he needs to hear."

That caught Levi's attention, and he suddenly remembered…

"Is this Shadis man coming?"

Erwin took a seat next to Hanji, and Levi took the seat next to him.

"He will be here shortly." Rico answered.

They sat in silence, or as silent as it could get. Hanji was muttering something under her breath while she gazed around the room at the art.

"I could use a drink." Levi said in Erwin's direction.

"I second that." Erwin agreed. "But all eating and drinking will take place after the meeting."

Levi stared at Erwin with intrigued eyes. He hadn't seen Erwin act this way before, almost subservient in behavior. It was unlike him.

"Do you think the creators of these paintings saw the revolutions themselves, or only heard about them?" Hanji asked no one in particular.

Everyone shrugged.

"Maybe they dreamt of it."

All faces turned attention to the doorway, and chairs were scooting back as each one of them stood.

Well, Levi was a little slow to pick up on the standing ovation, but he quickly followed.

"Shadis." Rico acknowledged.

The man hummed in response and quietly closed the door behind him.

Levi thought he looked unreal. His eyes were sunken in, almost as if he was sickly. His coat was covered in lint, and his beard looked unkempt. Yet he had an heir of authority; Levi picked that up right away.

There would be no snarky remarks on his behalf tonight.

"You may have a seat." He said. The only seat available was the one next to Levi, and Shadis quickly sat down and folded his hands on the table.

"Alright." He said sharply. "Quite frankly, I'm hungry, and I could use a drink or two, so let's get on with this, shall we? Rico, start it off."

"Yes sir." Rico answered. She stood up once again and cleared her throat before speaking.

"As of three weeks and four days ago, Dr. Grisha Jaeger was kidnapped from his own home by three anonymous men. Commander Erwin Smith sent us the forensics of the scene of the kidnapping. It was like the men had come in and disappeared."

"Two days later, a woman named Ilse Langar was murdered in her own apartment. Langar was an assistant surgical technician at Trost Hospital for two months before her death. The scene in her apartment showed no signs of struggle or forced entry, and the forensics pointed to another dead end."

"Four days after Langar's murder, another woman by the name of Nanaba was murdered as well, and in the same fashion; one bullet to the head, instant fatality. The surveillance camera on that particular street was fixed in an odd position, so there is footage of Nanaba walking, then being shot and hitting the ground. However, there is no footage of who did the shooting."

Levi was starting at the table.

"Two days after that, Detective Levi and Dr. Jaeger's son, Eren Jaeger, were driving home from a gym when they realized they were being followed."

Levi flicked his eyes up to Rico with haste.

"The vehicle following them was a black Honda Accord, and the driver was not identified. Detective Levi pulled into the parking lot of their enforcement facility, and the vehicle drove past."

"While all of this was going on, three more civilians of Hannover went missing. None of them seemed to be affiliated with one another, and they were all in different lines of profession. Two women, and one male."

"Our number one suspect would be none other than Professor Pixis. Now, I will let Hanji take the floor."

It was dead silent when Rico sat back down. Levi wasn't even sure if he was breathing, and it didn't look like Hanji's chest was moving either. Then, she smiled wide, and stood up, placing her carrier bag on the table.

"Well, this is more intense than I originally anticipated." She said with a laugh. Hanji was pulling papers out of the bag, shuffling through them and mumbling something. Then she cleared her throat and began.

"I've known Professor Pixis for a long time. In my area of specialization and interest, it's hard not to get to know others who share the same ideals as you."

"Professor Pixis is a renowned author and biologist. His career centered around human anatomy, and the evolution of man from the dawn of time into present day. His famous book that he published about that exact topic, and how much father man can go, received much attention and criticism. From anatomy junkies like myself, it received a lot of praise as well."

Hanji sighed.

"I first met him in England twenty years ago. I was twenty four, a fresh undergraduate, and much obsessed with his work. I attended a speech of his, and it was dynamic. He had a way of gripping everyone's attention, getting everyone to wonder about human genes and the origin of different hair colors, eye colors, skin colors, everything. He spoke about defects in the human genes, and how babies are born with diseases that were set in the parents genes, but where did such diseases originate from?"

Hanji looked fascinated as she thought back to that day. "It was one of the greatest speeches I had heard. You know, we live in a world where man is constantly blaming man for being the plague of the planet. Where no one can celebrate any achievement without the disquiet of the population. Where human beings are often reduced to significance no greater than an ant."

"But Pixis, he…he knew how to make you feel hopeful in humanity again. The way he spoke of great accomplishments in science and technology, health and wellness, it made me happy."

Her moment of enchantment ended. Hanji's smile faded, and she came back down to earth.

"He also talked about purposeful mutations, and genetic alterations."

Levi inhaled.

"He vaguely spoke about the altering of man's genes. He wondered if there was a way that we could extend life, increase thinking ability. He wondered if we could jump higher, run faster, think more efficiently if we were to tamper with our own genes."

"My own dissertation was about the anatomy of animals and humans, and the possible unification of them; the things we could do if we could combine our genes, what could be accomplished."

"Of course, such experiments are unethical and illegal everywhere, and I resolved myself to simply wondering instead of ever really branching out on those ideas."

"What about Pixis?" Shadis asked.

Levi almost jumped at the stark difference in their voices. He was so intent on Hanji that he honestly forgotten Shadis was there.

Shadis was staring at Hanji with disinterest. His arms were crossed, and his frown was deep.

Hanji laughed. "Well, I suppose that's why we're here."

She slid a few papers across the table for Shadis to look at. "Those are a series of e-mails between Pixis and I. When I earned my doctorate, I was fortunate to make a little name for myself in my line of work. I attended a science gala in London, and surprisingly, Pixis was there. He said he had been eyeing my work, and was quite impressed."

Shadis skimmed over the e-mails. Once he realized Hanji had stopped talking, he waved a hand. "You may continue."

"Needless to say, I was ecstatic. Pixis was my icon, an innovative man I would have loved to work with, but things became strange after we e-mailed each other over a series of months."

Levi looked over at Shadis. His previous look of disinterest was replaced with concern. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he looked utterly displeased.

"My god." He muttered, still reading the emails.

Both Erwin and Rico were staring at Shadis, waiting for some kind of clarification in the situation.

"Keep going, Zoe." Shadis ordered.

"Pixis kept speaking of genetic alterations. It wasn't exactly what I was interested in, and even though my dissertation minutely focused on that idea, I knew it wasn't something that could be done. For one, you cannot get a human to comply with what it would take to merge genetics…unless you forced them. And once again, it is illegal."

She took a breath before continuing. "He invited me to his mansion in Hannover, saying that he had a team of young doctors that he thought would be suited to work with us and our ideals. He sent that invitation via e-mail, and I decided not to ask what exactly 'our ideals' were. I just went."

Shadis placed the papers down on the table slowly, and folded his hands over them. "Hanji," he began lowly, staring right at her. "What happened in that mansion?"

Hanji swallowed. Levi was completely focused on her words.

"I arrived in Hannover in the evening. Pixis had a driver ready for me at the airport and everything. I remember him, his name was Nile Dawk."

Erwin's concerned expression morphed into something much more unsettling. Levi saw it, Rico saw it. Shadis and Hanji were both unaware.

"He drove me to Pixis' mansion on the outskirts of Hannover; it's a beautiful, quiet place, right by a river too."

"There, I met the team of doctors he spoke of. They were men named Moblit Berner, Mike Zacharius, the driver, Nile Dawk, and Grisha Jaeger."

Levi thought he could see the pieces of the puzzle starting to come together. It was beginning to form a much darker picture than he imagined.

"Each of them was an accredited student of Pixis, and earned their doctorates with honors. They were young, friendly, and impressionable."

"We all sat down to a nice dinner, and for a while, no one spoke of anything regarding health or science. It was idle chit chat and laughter, and I started to feel more at ease. Then, Pixis said he wanted to show us all something."

"We left the dining hall, and walked across the entire mansion until we reached a door that led to a basement."

Levi exhaled.

"Pixis went first and told us to follow him. He was saying something about how he was about to change our lives. Grisha was the last in line, and he was right behind me. I noticed, even though he was also kind, he spoke less at dinner, and wasn't as jubilant as everyone else. Anyway, that door closed, and there was another door in front of us. It was metal, thick, and Pixis unlatched it, and…

She broke off momentarily, then cleared her throat twice, regaining her composure.

"It was horrible."

Levi inhaled.

"There was a body tray, someone was on it, I don't know who. A male victim. He was lying in anatomical position, and the skin at the crease of his elbows had been cut open and was being supported by pins. His torso was also torn open, yet all the organs were still there. His face…gosh…his face was mutilated. There were stitches here and there, and his mouth had been sewn shut. But his mouth, it almost looked like a distorted smile…

"We were all gagging. I'm pretty sure Moblit threw up. I was near tears. I don't remember who, but someone asked what the hell was going on, and Pixis answered. He said that he had been experimenting for a long time, trying to find a way to make his dream a reality. A new kind of being, stronger, and so muscular that it would be nearly impenetrable."

"I can't remember everything he said, as far as the chemistry involved and what it took for him to make the formula. I was…gagging. But, the most important part of the conversation was the code."

"Code?" Shadis inquired.

Levi exhaled.

"Yes, the code, formula, or blueprint; whatever you want to call it. Pixis believed he'd discovered a way to make this being he dreamt about. Through a series of experiments, tests, chemical mixes, and unwilling _participants_…he believed he found what it took to make a human so large, so strong, it would be unstoppable, superior…

"Titan-like."

Levi inhaled.

"He explained that the young man on the table was not the result of such experiments, not yet. He said he wanted to…" Hanji broke off to laugh bitterly. "He said he wanted us to be present when he tried the formula on a person. He said that…we were the only people he could trust."

Rico had a hand over her mouth.

Erwin was leant forward in his seat, staring at the table.

Levi exhaled.

"What happened?" Shadis asked.

"That's when the fighting started." Hanji began. "It started with me. I was yelling something or another, _shit_, I can hardly remember now. Something about how it was wrong, maniacal, and how I was going to tell the police. That was stupid of me."

"Pixis had the nerve to look hurt when I said that. He said he thought he could trust me. He thought I was above the others that said that humans were done evolving. Everything else was a blur, there was yelling from everyone, cursing, Pixis shouted something, then that one man, Nile, had grabbed both my wrists."

"Pixis was saying something about how I could be the next participant. The first to be ran through with the serum he'd create with the formula. I wasn't so strong back then, untrained, and so I could hardly defend myself."

"Grisha was the one that saved me."

Levi inhaled.

"He shoved Nile away. Both Mike and Moblit were off to the sides, panicking, but useless. Grisha was screaming. Something about how he wouldn't be a part of it, how he wouldn't let Pixis end innocent lives. How he had trusted him and he was a liar…

"I'm tired of talking," Hanji muttered. "I'll just wrap this up. Grisha stabbed Pixis in the arm with a scalpel, snatched a sticky note off the white board, punched Nile, and grabbed me, and we ran. We ran like hell, our lives depended on it."

"That night, we both shared a small hotel room. Grisha expressed how he always had admiration for Pixis, but felt that there was something underneath the surface of him that no one else could see. It turns out, he was right."

"The note he took had the formula written on it. We both hoped with everything we had that Pixis didn't have it in his memory, and we quickly made arrangements. Grisha left the country, he left Europe. I didn't go back to London. I sort of…traveled all across Europe, staying hidden. I hadn't seen or heard of Grisha again, up until recently."

Levi exhaled.

"He contacted me. I don't know how he found me, since I've been neither here nor there for years and years, but he e-mailed me. He said he needed to talk to me. He said that things were going wrong."

"A year ago, I met Grisha Jaeger at the Trost golf club. He told me about his deceased wife, Carla, and his teenage son, Eren. He talked about how he loved his job at the hospital, and how he could use my assistance in the expansion of their surgical department, but I knew that wasn't all he wanted me for."

"He had been receiving anonymous letters, threatening letters. Each one of them said the same thing. 'Give us the code.' One arrived in his office at work, another in his mailbox at home, and another taped to the hood of his car."

"And you decided to help?" Shadis asked. It sounded like more of a statement than a question.

"He saved my life, ya know." Hanji answered. Her tone was going back to being its normal light hearted sound.

"Yes, I decided to help. I moved an hour or two away, and only took a trip to the hospital twice a week for safety purposes. Together, we completed a lot of projects in the hospital, and I started to feel like I could have a normal life again, doing the things I loved, helping people."

"Then he went missing." It was Erwin this time. His gaze was blank, still staring at the table.

"Yes. And I ran. I ran back to Europe, and that's when you found me, Shadis."

Hanji nodded once, then sat back down. It was back to pure silence.

Levi felt like he just discovered the world didn't quite work the way he thought it did. It was Rico that spoke up.

"That's why the kidnappings stopped once Grisha left Germany. Not because he was in the slightest involved, but because he stole the formula Pixis needed to further his experiments."

"Where is this code?" Shadis asked.

"I don't know." Hanji said. "I never asked, I didn't want to know. But I know Grisha knows it."

"Which is why he was kidnapped." Levi interjected. His voice sounded weak in his own ears. He cleared his throat. "Pixis wants that formula, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to get it."

"Can someone explain the murder of Nanaba and Ilse Langar?" Shadis asked.

Rico stood up. "Well, after proper research, we discovered that Nanaba truly was an innocent bystander, and was caught in the web. However, Ilse Langar…her situation is suspicious."

"Explain." Levi said.

Rico shook her head. "She only worked there for two months, and Hannover is her birth place."

Erwin flicked his gaze from the table to Rico. "Are you insinuating…

"Nothing." Rico interrupted. "I am insinuating nothing. All I am saying is that it is suspicious. She's from here, worked under Dr. Jaeger's tutelage specifically, and was murdered. Her apartment was void of any signs of struggle, so was her body. I think…I think she was hired, and didn't follow through with what she was hired for. And somebody, I don't know who, killed her."

Rico sat back down. It was quiet again. Then, a low chuckle broke the air, and everyone looked at the source.

It was Shadis. He looked completely worn out, but with a smile on his face. "So, what I'm hearing is that Geheimnis has managed to let a raving serial killer live and eat and piss like everyone else, and no one has done anything about it?"

Erwin responded. "We didn't know, sir."

Shadis slammed a hand on the table. "I wasn't talking to you, Smith."

Erwin looked like he had been disciplined, then it was replaced with a look of annoyance.

"I was talking to Hanji Zoe."

Levi looked over to Hanji. She was staring right back at Shadis with a determined expression.

"If you're referring to why I never told on him, I thought that much would be clear. Pixis stopped the kidnappings. The experiments stopped. As long as Grisha had the formula, all was well. Now, that may sound selfish and irresponsible of me, but I was thinking of my life, of Grisha's life, and how I didn't want either one of us to die."

"That's cowardice." Shadis stated coolly.

Hanji smirked. "Be that as it may, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't know a fraction of the things I just told you. So before you sit here and berate me for making my own decisions on my own agenda, let's remember a few things: I was _there_, I know how to _get_ there, I can _take_ you there. And I'm talking about Pixis' mansion.

"She's played the part, sir." Rico began. "She was somehow able to get Pixis to trust her again, and he's already expecting her any day now."

"How the hell did you manage that?" Levi asked.

Hanji smiled nervously. "I may or may not have told Pixis that I knew the formula."

Everyone sighed.

"Damn it, Hanji." Levi muttered, burying his face in his hands.

"So we can pretty much agree that Pixis has Dr. Jaeger." Rico stated.

"And whoever kidnapped him and knocked Eren unconscious is there as well." Levi added.

"And we have someone who can run in and take the place over." Hanji said, pointing in Levi's direction. Levi rolled his eyes.

"So, what are we waiting for, sir?" Erwin asked. He didn't look pleased.

Shadis looked at everyone individually, as if he was analyzing each of them and their thoughts.

"Well, I suppose we don't have anything to wait for." He began. "Levi, this is where you come in."

Levi felt his heart drop, but his face didn't betray him.

"I need you to take down Pixis, alive, preferably, but by whatever means necessary. You find Grisha, you find those who kidnapped him, and you find out who killed those two women. You do all of this and call us when it is done, alright?"

Levi nodded. "Yes sir."

"Find out everything you need to, then debilitate anyone on the premises. You may need to take care of them before you can properly search the place. We'll have Hanji not too far off from the mansion to help you navigate if you need assistance. We won't be too far off either. But the dirty work, that's what we need you for."

Levi remembered when he was a boy. He remembered struggling to make ends meet, and that was weird to say, since it was normally parents who were supposed to be making ends meet. But his mom wasn't suited to take care of him. What drug addict could care for a child properly, anyway?

He remembered all the things he had to get himself into just to live, and to protect _them_. It was what he was good at; hurting people, surviving, manipulating.

He remembered growing up in shitty environments. He remembered blood and gun shots and knives and screams and everything that came with being poor, desperate, and dangerous.

So, despite his unwillingness to engage in any combat since those days were over, despite Erwin's plea for his help, despite the fact that this was Eren's father they were looking for, despite the _vow_ he made to himself, he needed to put all of that aside.

Because this time, he was actually on the side of the law, and the people on the opposite side were ruthless, unpredictable, and no one else innocent needed to die because they didn't act here. How many families were still restless over their missing loved ones? What if the killings back home continued?

What if the next body in the morgue was Eren's?

"I'm in." He said steadily.

'No.' He thought. 'I'm not doing this for him.'

That wasn't entirely a lie. He was not doing this _only_ for Eren. He was doing this because this was his moment of redemption, a chance to do the right thing, to actually help people.

This would be his atonement for his past sins.

"Wonderful." Shadis said with sarcasm. "Now, how do we get a goddamn waitress in here? I'm ready to eat."


	13. Chapter 13

When they were safely back in their hotel room, Levi sat on the edge of his bed and started pulling off his shoes. Erwin walked over to the double window and pulled the curtains closed.

"Don't feel like stargazing?" Levi asked.

Erwin didn't answer. Levi looked over and found the man sitting on his own bed, his back turned to Levi.

Levi just stared. Yes, he had seen the way Erwin reacted to a certain let-out of information in that stuffy room at _das U-Bahn_, and no, he did not know what to make of it.

It wasn't that he was scared to ask, but he knew how annoying it was to be asked questions about a subject that was sensitive to talk about. He didn't want to cause Erwin that same sharp feeling.

Be that is it may, Levi now knew his assignment, and it was going to be dirty; call that his intuition. He needed to know something, should he encounter this _man_. He'd seen Erwin's expression; he knew it was someone he knew.

"Who is Nile Dawk?" Levi asked evenly, still sitting on the edge of his bed.

Erwin's back was still facing him, but Levi could see his shoulders rise and fall in a heavy sigh at that question.

"If I told you, would it somehow benefit you?"

"Yes." Levi answered. "If I should see him, I need to know what to do."

Erwin shrugged. "There's not much to say."

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you'd look at me when you say it." Levi said in an indifferent tone.

"Of course." Erwin said. He turned and adjusted himself so that he was facing Levi well enough.

"Whenever you're ready." Levi stated, looking right at him.

It literally took five minutes for Erwin to open his mouth again. Levi didn't know if he was trying to piece things together to make a statement, or if he was trying to find somewhere to begin.

"I knew Nile from high school." Erwin began. "When I still lived in Frankfurt, Brandenburg, we attended high school together for all four years. He was a friend."

Levi blinked.

"I would dare say he was the best friend I had in Frankfurt. See, I wasn't from there. My birthplace is Berlin, but due to my father's job, we moved all over Germany. When my parents divorced, it was while we were in Frankfurt. My mom and I decided to stay. Although, I don't really think it was a choice on my part as much as it was a decision made for me. My mother argued that it would be better for me to get settled and have friends, and that I shouldn't go on with my father. My father agreed with her, and I have not seen him since."

"I didn't know anyone there, and I was resigned to not getting to know anyone, but you know how it goes; everyone becomes fascinated with the new kid in town, and my popularity blew up, not because I made it, but simply by just being someone they didn't know."

"I ended up developing a crush on this girl named Marie that went to school with us, but she rather had a thing for Nile. No matter, he was a good friend, and I knew he always wanted to go into medicine and study to become a doctor. I was thinking about the medical field as well, and I was almost sure that I wanted to attend that same university that he went to."

Erwin didn't say anything else, so Levi assumed he had to dig a little bit.

"And then what happened?" He asked.

Erwin answered. "We graduated. He left for Hannover to begin his studies. Meanwhile, I got involved in a few things, and ended up with this job I have now."

Levi knew better than to ask about what it was that Erwin got involved in. That was classified information that Erwin could not divulge. All Levi really knew, and all he cared to know, was that whatever job Erwin had taken on, it somehow led the two of them together, and changed Levi's life forever.

"Okay." Levi said. "So, at the restaurant, you looked like you were about to throw up because…

"Because why would Nile, a man I knew as honest, good, and one that wanted to help people, be involved in something like this?"

Levi shrugged. "When was the last time you talked to him, Erwin?"

Erwin looked over at Levi. He looked as tired as he sounded.

"His family held a going away party for him before he left for Hannover. That was the last time…We promised to write each other, but with the job I had, I couldn't write him. I couldn't write anyone."

"You said you had visited Hannover before with friends." Levi brought up. "Who were those friends?"

Erwin took a deep breath. "People that I worked with, and it wasn't so much a vacation as it was a business 'trip'. I wasn't lying when I said I didn't talk to those people anymore, though."

Levi nodded curtly. "Alright."

"Why?" Erwin asked quietly.

"Why what? Why ask you about Nile? Because I wanted to know, of course. Should I see him."

"If you do see him," Erwin began, leaning back to lie on his bed, placing his arms behind his head. "What will you do?"

Levi stood up to stretch. "What I have been instructed to do."

Levi unzipped a bag to prepare for a shower. He hadn't had the time to ask housekeeping at the hotel for more cleaning supplies, but he supposed he could behave for one night.

He grabbed his sleeping clothes and started walking towards the bathroom.

"Which would be?" Erwin asked.

Levi looked over his shoulder.

"To detain."

He closed the bathroom door.

888

The next morning, Jarnach greeted Levi and Erwin with a loud knock at the door, and Levi mumbled into his pillow that it was Erwin's turn to get it.

Erwin heard something crack as he stood, and briefly considered asking Levi exactly what they were taking turns for, but he ignored it, and walked to answer the door.

"Yes, good morning, Jarnach." Erwin nodded. "Have you come to fetch us for breakfast?"

Jarnach looked surprised. "Oh, er, well, I hadn't really thought about breakfast."

Erwin looked confused.

Jarnach cleared his throat. "Shadis instructed I bring Levi this letter," he reached in his coat and picked out a small white envelope. "It is technically my job to see that you two have regular meals, except I forgot…

Erwin smiled warmly. "That's quite alright." He took the envelope. "I'll give this to Levi. Are there any places in town, preferably nearby, that you'd recommend for breakfast?"

Jarnach looked like he'd been caught off guard. "Oh, well, there's the uh…the _Weinstube_ about twenty minutes from here. They have really great eggs."

Erwin raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly. "Good eggs, huh?"

Jarnach nodded. "Very good, sir."

"I'll make Levi get out of bed, and we can all go."

Jarnach looked puzzled. "Um, all?"

Erwin leaned in the doorframe. "Yes. Unless you've already eaten."

Jarnach opened his mouth, then closed it to clear his throat.

"No, I haven't. Thank you. I'll wait in the lobby."

Erwin smiled and closed the door.

Turning around, we walked around the corner to find Levi on ground doing push-ups.

"Morning wake-me-up?" Erwin inquired.

Levi finished and stood up to stretch. "Something like that." He pointed to Erwin's hand. "That's for me?"

Erwin handed it to him, and Levi opened it carefully, making sure not to tear the envelope at the edges.

He pulled out a small piece of tan paper and read it.

Erwin was watching him.

"What is it?"

Levi looked up at him.

"It's an address."

"Nothing else?"

Levi shook his head.

Erwin hummed. "It's most likely to Pixis' mansion."

Levi nodded. "It is."

"What's the address?" Erwin asked.

Levi reached over to his small bedside table and pulled his wallet out the first drawer. He opened it and slipped the paper inside.

"670 Olbd Drive."

888

"_Eren?"_

_He didn't know where he was. It actually looked like he was nowhere all at once, yet he had a feeling that he was in a tight space. _

"_Eren?"_

_He thought the voice sounded familiar. He called out._

"_Who's there?" He said. His voice sounded faint and strained in his ears._

_Silence._

"_Hello?" He called again. He reached a hand out, and was horribly surprised to find that there was a block right in front of him. He ran a hand down it, and decided that it was a wall. He reached to his right, to his left, and behind him. Walls._

"_Hello?" He yelled out. "I'm in here!" Wherever 'here' was._

"_Eren?" The voice called again, yet this time, it sounded like a myriad of voices, and all were recognizable._

_The voice sounded like his father, like Levi, like Petra, like Armin, like Mikasa, even like his mother who was long gone and on the cusp of being forgotten with time._

"_In here!" He hollered. He reached his hands out and balled them into fists, hitting at the walls that surrounded him, hoping to break free._

"_Where?"_

_Eren felt himself furrow his eyebrows._

"_Where?" He whispered. "In here! I'm in here! I'm in this…box."_

_He heard footsteps, but they sounded like they were distancing themselves from Eren instead of approaching. He started to panic._

"_Don't leave me in here!" He whined, furiously hitting and kicking at his confinement. "Wait! Dad, Mikasa, Armin, Petra…Levi!"_

_Without warning, there was a blinding light in front of Eren, and he assumed someone, he didn't know who, had opened the box. The light was shining so brightly that he couldn't make out a face, but there was a hand reaching down into the box, but instead of reaching to pull Eren out, it was handing him something instead._

_It was a key on a string. That particular key actually looked really familiar, even the small bits of rust on it were recognizable._

"_Why are you giving me a key?" He asked, reaching for it anyway. "Who are you?"_

_Then as suddenly as it had happened, the light was gone. There was a loud slam, like someone had shut the lid of a coffin, and Eren started screaming._

"_No! Wait, stop! Come back!"_

_He started beating and kicking at the walls again, this time with a useless key in his hand. He felt along, but couldn't find anything remotely close to the shape and feel of a keyhole; there was only smooth darkness._

"_Don't leave me here." He whined. His voice was back to sounding faint, almost as if he was underwater listening to himself speak…_

Eren sprang forward in his scratchy bed, sweaty, but his breathing was steady.

He quickly kicked the covers off himself and ran to the other side of the room to turn on the light.

He looked around. Nope. There was nothing in here.

It may have seemed stupid to someone else, but whenever woke up in the middle of the night with a bad feeling, or from a frightening dream, he always turned on the lights, because even though it was rare that there was something else in his room other than him, that didn't stop the portentous feeling surrounding him.

He breathed out and sat on the edge of his bed, burying his face in his hands.

He hadn't went a night without some confusing dream or another, and the only freaky thing that was similar between all of them was that they were all nightmares, and the majority of them had something to do with keys.

Eren sat back up. That key looked like one that he had, but they were also different. His house key.

His house key wasn't that smudged and old looking, and it wasn't suspended from a string. It was just a regular, copper colored key.

He was overly frustrated from being so confused, and he briefly debated rubbing one out to distract himself from the problem at hand.

He had tried that, last night to be exact, but it didn't work. The only person he could think of was Levi, and that worked in the sense that it finished him off, but it didn't help him feel any better. It was just diverting his mind from one problem to another.

It was a little past midnight, and he knew Petra was in her room asleep. She actually seemed pretty tired out after her work day, and Eren asked her if she was fine. She responded in a broken yawn that she was just tired, and that there were a lot of things going on in the city lately that needed her attention.

He wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he only told her that he hoped she got some good rest, and resumed working on his online classes on Petra's laptop.

Eren unconsciously grabbed his phone and turned on the screen, even though he knew he wouldn't have any messages. It was honestly just a habit and he knew no one would be contacting him anyway but still he…

Wait.

He had a text message notification at the top, left-hand side of the screen. He quickly unlocked it and went to his messages. It was from an unknown number.

**6748326587 – 11:23 pm**

"_Give us the code and your father will be spared."_

There were moments where someone was stunned motionless, thoughtless, and speechless. Eren garnered all three of those states in mere seconds.

His eyes flicked over that message over and over and over again; over the number, the time it was sent, and each and every single letter that formed a word until the text was over.

How?

He broke out of his stunned state and rushed out of his room, running down the narrow hall to Petra's bedroom.

He knocked on the door with panic.

"Petra! Petra, it's an emergency!"

He was slamming a hand on the door repeatedly, until it was swung open with ferocity, revealing a disheveled woman still in work clothes.

"Eren?" Petra questioned, reaching a hand to his hand. "What is wrong?"

He shoved the phone at her before she even had time to finish speaking, almost dropping it.

Petra squinted and read.

Eren watched her face morph from worry and confusion to something more perturbed and unsettled.

"You don't know who this is." She stated. It wasn't a question.

"No." Eren answered quickly. Funny, his voice sounded faint…

"You don't know who could have sent this?" She asked, still staring at the message.

"No!" He blurted.

Petra's large, brown eyes were running over the message again and again.

"Hold on." She said, turning around and heading back into her room.

Eren heard her making a phone call to Gunther, saying something along the lines of 'office…now' and 'this is urgent.'

Eren didn't feel himself slip down the wall and settle on the floor. He didn't notice he was sitting down until Petra walked out of the room and looked down at him, when he was usually the one looking down at her.

"Put on some clothes." Petra said lowly. "We're going to the office."

Eren frowned. "Shouldn't I stay here? I mean, I'm not supposed to leave…

"Whoever that was has your personal contact information, Eren." Petra interrupted, already slipping on her overcoat. "There's no telling how they got it, or where they are, but I don't feel safe leaving you by yourself right now."

Eren shut his eyes and begged himself not to panic. This was too much.

"Put on some clothes." She said again, shuffling her keys and already walking down the hall. "We're going to trace that number if we can."

888

How many days had it been? How many hours? Minutes? Seconds, even?

Grisha had lost count.

When he was first placed in this hellhole, he did well about keeping track of the days by inferring. There were no windows in that dank, dark room, and there was no clock. The only thing he knew was that one of his three old classmates would come to visit him once a day, at different times.

When Nile came in the morning, and he always came dressed in work clothes: a solid colored button up with dark slacks. Whatever he did for a living, he had to get to it in decent time, because amongst the three of _them_, Nile was the one that stayed for the least amount of time.

He'd come in, rough him up a bit, and ask questions that he knew Grisha wouldn't answer, but still asked them all the same.

Mike would arrive in work clothes as well, but he looked more unkempt than Nile. His shirt would have a few wrinkles or creases on the sleeves, and the natural look of tiredness he wore was accentuated. Grisha assumed he came in the evening, because when he came, he would bring a plate of food, something not totally disgusting, and set it on the ground.

Mike never hit him. He only ever talked sternly and evenly, while sitting improperly in a chair across from him, looking none too interested in whether he answered the questions or not.

He'd untie Grisha's restraints around his raw wrists, and let him eat with his hands. When he was done, he'd wait a while longer, playing something on his phone, until he permitted that Grisha could have a bathroom break.

Bathroom breaks consisted of walking past the silver body tables, which were now clean and shiny, to the bucket in the corner of the room to relieve himself. Grisha had learned how to go on schedule. His first few days of captivity were spent with piss stained slacks, and he was not given a change of anything. Mike told him that he'd have to learn how to adjust.

Since he inferred that Mike came in the evening, he knew that Moblit came at night, dressed casually, not like he was a part of this mess at all.

He'd always speak gently, save for the rare moments that he'd snap, because Moblit had a tiny habit of speaking his mind when he was overly frustrated, and when Grisha wouldn't answer his questions, he could see the irritation rising in the bob of his Adam's apple, in the set of his thin mouth.

Before he'd leave, he'd ask Grisha if he had to use the bathroom, and the answers varied. Then he'd pull a clean, protected syringe out of his pocket, go to a small fridge in the more laboratorial part of the room, and pull out a vile.

There were no labels on the viles, and Moblit never explained what it was, but he'd grab Grisha's arm, whichever one, and slap the spot he was going to inject three times before carefully plunging the needle in and giving the dosage, with the precision of someone in the medical field.

Grisha would pass out soon thereafter, and awake in the darkness once again, and wait for another round of questioning from Nile.

Except now, he had lost count. Somewhere along the line, the visits were starting to blur together, and everything was starting to feel like one long day instead of a series of them.

His skin was pasty white, probably from the lack of sunlight, poor nutrition, and whatever nonsense Moblit injected him with. His throat and mouth were always dry, and his personal hygiene was abysmal.

Grisha had made a mistake, and it was Nile's fault. Nile came in that morning, or what he assumed was the morning, and brought with him a vile and a syringe. The liquid in the vile was not the same, clear color as the substances kept in the fridge. It was a pale yellow, and whatever it was, caused him to spill some beans.

Nile asked him for Eren's number. Now Grisha knew that if Pixis really wanted to get a hold of Eren, he would. No, getting Grisha to admit _something_ was a small success, a light in the tunnel that he would do or say anything in order to save his boy.

After Nile injected him, with the same precision as Moblit's, he began asking questions; the same series of questions he had asked before.

Where is the code? Do you remember it by heart? Does Eren know? Does Professor Zoe know? Where is the code? Do you remember it by heart? Does Eren know? Does Professor Zoe know? Where is the code?...

It was the same questions from all three of them every day. Grisha wouldn't answer, and any time Nile hit him, he would hiss through the pain, occasionally crying out when the blow was powerful enough, but would answer nothing.

But he knew that he was pressed for time now, even though Pixis was a man of exceptional patience. His years of working on his unsound 'project' were proof enough of that.

Pixis had been on the cusp of completing what he sought out to do, until Grisha put a wrench in his plans, and literally ran away with the very essence of what Pixis needed.

When Grisha mulled it over, he was honestly surprised at how long it had been before Pixis found him again. He always knew, always had a looming feeling that demise was right around the corner. Double digits in years spent with constant anxiety would make anyone bone tired.

He was foolish to get comfortable, to think that it was over. He had always assumed that Pixis would continue to work on his 'projects', trying to recreate what he had done before. Turns out he was right.

He was young, naïve, ready to take on the world, ready to be great, like most young people want. He had an entire life ahead of him, medical school was his calling, helping people was his muse. Being acknowledged by a man such as Pixis himself was an honor, something so great to experience at that age.

It was a ruse, an impressive cover up in order for Pixis to find loyal people who would work with and for him in his endeavors.

And in that moment, that moment he saw those mangled bodies spread out on that body tray, he knew he had to make a decision: to abandon his life and everything he knew and run, or stay and work for a monster.

There were moments were Grisha wondered if running was the right thing, moments when he wondered if he should have just stayed, because Pixis was going to catch up with him anyway.

Then he met her.

Grisha dreamed of becoming a doctor ever since he was old enough to understand what a career was. He couldn't envision himself doing anything else. He knew that earning his doctorate would be the best thing that ever happened to him, the start of a future of prosperity in his homeland.

That's what he planned for.

He didn't plan on being dragged into this, he didn't imagine leaving home and moving to the States, on the run from a man who would do anything to get his hands on what Grisha stole. He didn't imagine being able to live out his dream as a doctor in the States, but luckily enough, he could. And he didn't imagine that he would meet the woman of his dreams, the greatest thing that had ever happened to him.

Carla.

They met in the ER. She was there waiting on a friend that had collapsed at their office job, and he was on call that day. He remembered thinking about how beautiful she was, even in her worried state. He remembered talking with her, getting her to smile some, asking her for a date, and another, and another.

Before he could register it, they were at their local courthouse, kissing each other moderately, since they were in public, and getting legally married.

Carla was loving, gentle, yet strongheaded at the same time. She was passionate about everything she did, kind to everyone she met, understanding of Grisha's busy work schedule.

And Grisha knew, he knew that, despite the series of unfortunate events in his life, nothing had gone wrong; that he was somehow meant to find her, and start this new life, in this new land, with these odd people.

He realized how much of a blessing she was when she laid with him, whispering sweet nothings in his ears that were normally filled with orders and coding and sounds of pain. He realized what a strong woman she was when she brought their son into the world, breath still rapid from the exertion of birth, holding a squalling child in her shaking arms, smiling at the baby with tear filled eyes.

He realized just how much he missed her when she died.

Carla was someone who would forever be in his heart, someone who didn't expect anything extraordinary of him other than to be a loving husband and father.

And he feels guilty, because he knew everything about her, to the shampoo she loved to use, to the very food she hated. But she didn't know about him.

She never knew about the story with Pixis. He never told her, he didn't think he could. He only told her that he earned his doctorate and moved to the States, as was his dream, and settled to work.

The small lies he told when she asked about Germany, about medical school, about why and when he left, took a lot of strength to answer. It was hard to look into her big eyes, ones that mirrored Eren's, and lie to her, when she deserved nothing but the truth.

Eren was the second greatest thing that had ever happened to him.

He was smart, in his own way, social, kind, tenacious, resilient, and passionate about the things and the people that mattered to him. Just like his mother.

Grisha knew he could be a better father, be more involved. He wasn't stupid. He knew that the stagnant, commonplace conversations they had over a quiet, mediocre dinner was not the best their relationship could offer. They could do better, and with Eren approaching his senior year, he wanted to do better.

Then life took another ugly course, and he was taken.

Now he didn't know if he'd ever see Eren again. He didn't know if he'd ever get the chance to explain to him what happened, and talk to him more about his mother, whom he asked about from time to time. It was hard to look at him sometimes, with his face and eyes so much like Carla's, with his personality almost a carbon copy of hers.

And he messed up once again, by letting Nile get a hold of Eren's number.

When he was taken, they had confiscated his personal belongings, his phone being the first thing they took. Nile had asked for the pass code before, but of course, Grisha didn't give it up.

But whatever Nile gave him, it made his tongue loose, and he told it, under the threat that another person would die if he didn't give up his code, right then.

Nile said he was going to have someone get in contact with Eren, and Grisha wanted to ask who, but he felt weary again, and black danced on the edges of his vision before he was swept away.

He wondered if they'd send threatening messages to Eren. Grisha was at least truthful in telling them that Eren knew nothing; he didn't. But he had something very important, and he didn't know it, but that made him a target, and he prayed to a god he didn't believe in that nothing would happen to him. Not his boy. Not the last person he had left.

They'd said nothing of Hanji, and he assumed that she was somewhere safe, and he was glad for that. But if Pixis got tired of waiting long enough, he might find her too, and question her in the same manner that they questioned him, and beat her as well.

Except Hanji didn't know the code. Grisha didn't tell her. He showed her the slip of paper with the formula on it, but she hadn't committed to remember. She had said that she didn't want to.

It was good to be able to connect with Hanji again after all those years. It was good to know that she was alive, and also living in fear of being harmed. But he would have never guessed it, not with the enthused way she carried herself, always some sort of smile on her face.

But time was winding down, he knew. And if he couldn't figure something out to save both Eren and Hanji, and multiple other people, everything would be over. There had to be something, some sort of diversion he could provide. Something he could say to steer them off Eren's path, at least.

He was given the option of living if he told them the formula, which he committed to memory like a prayer, and him and his son would live. But he couldn't do that, not in good faith, knowing that he would never be free of Pixis, that every move he made would be monitored, so that Grisha wouldn't tell. There would be multiple kidnappings, more deaths and chaos once Pixis was able to create whatever the hell kind of 'titan-like' creature he dreamt of.

Never mind counting the days; that no longer mattered. He needed to think. He needed to think of some kind of red herring. He wished there was a way he could contact someone, let them know where he was, what was going on.

And he had an idea, although he wasn't sure how successful it would be. But he had nothing else, and would have absolutely no one if he let Eren and Hanji fall in the midst of this.

He had to try.


	14. Chapter 14

The car made a traditional screech on the road as it was wheeled around the corner, leading into the heart of the city.

Petra hadn't said anything else upon commanding Eren to get dressed and come along to the office. Eren hadn't said anything else either, only slipping on wrinkled articles of clothing that he would never really put on if there wasn't an emergency going on.

His hands were still in his lap, clenching and unclenching his phone as if it would fly away if he loosened his hold.

Eren was thinking that he had never seen the city roads this empty before. Of course, he didn't live in this section anyway, but the area almost seemed deserted, and that wasn't helping the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

They were currently on their way to the police headquarters to meet Gunther, and see if the unknown number could be traced.

Every reason as to how someone could get their hands on his cell phone number wasn't making any sense. After all, the only people that have his number are his friends, and Levi, and Petra, and none of them would just give it out. Not since they know his current circumstances.

So, how could someone get his number? It wasn't adding up.

"Petra."

Petra didn't deviate from keeping her eyes on the road, which Eren was thankful for. She was driving kind of fast.

"Yes, Eren?"

He swallowed. "How do you think they got my number?"

Petra's jaw clenched, and she relaxed it after a moment.

"Someone would have had to give it to whoever sent you that message."

"But that doesn't make sense!" Eren raised. "My friends have my number, but they know not to give it out, even in a normal situation. They may not know all the details of what's going on, but they know the basics. They wouldn't do that."

Petra nodded. "Who else?"

"You." Eren answered quickly. "But I know it wasn't you. There's Levi, but…

"He knows better, as does Erwin."

Eren shook his head, feeling even more frustrated than before he started talking.

"Well, then I don't know who could have! That's everyone."

Petra came to a screeching stop at a red light. They were close now.

She looked over at Eren, eyes sad and a frown on her face.

"What about your father, Dr. Jaeger?"

Eren paused. "What?" He asked quietly. "What about him?"

Petra averted her eyes. "He also has your number. There was no cell phone of his left anywhere on the site, I mean, at your home after the invasion. It was on him, or so you told us you believed."

Eren exhaled. "I…I don't…

He didn't want to think about it, not at all. Because, in this circumstance, if Grisha had been the one to release his phone number, it wasn't by his own will. He would never put him in harm's way.

His father would never.

"It's okay." Petra said, placing her foot back on the gas and pressing forward. "We'll find out soon."

Eren didn't say anything else for the short duration of the ride, and when they arrived at headquarters, he placed his phone in his pocket and took a deep breath before getting out the car.

Just as they were walking to the front door, another car was pulling into the lot.

"That's Gunther." Petra said.

They waited for him to reach the front, and Gunther tried to offer some type of reassuring smile of some sort or another. Eren could tell that he really wasn't a guy made for social interaction in this line of work.

"Did you bring the phone?" He asked.

"Yes." Petra and Eren said simultaneously.

"Alright." Gunther nodded. "Let's go."

The polished lobby was empty, save for the older security guard sitting at the crescent shaped desk. He smiled and nodded at them as they walked by. Eren knew he probably recognized Petra and Gunther, and let them pass without question.

They took the elevator up to their level, and once again, Eren didn't like how quiet and empty everything was. He needed background noise, something to override that strong pulsing in his chest.

They walked down the hall and made a left, walking into a series of small cubicles that Eren hadn't noticed the last time he was here.

Gunther flipped on a switch, illuminating the room, and he spoke.

"Okay, let me see the phone. I'm going to run this to Analysis and see if I can't figure out where this came from."

Eren reached into this pocket and handed over the phone, wiping his hands on the front of his jeans to get rid of the palm sweat.

"Here, Eren." Petra spoke softly behind him. She pointed to a small series of chairs away from the cubicles. "Have a seat."

He didn't really want to sit down. He wanted to move, but he obeyed her anyway.

"Do you want anything? Water, juice? I can run down to our lounge and grab some snacks."

"No, thank you."

Petra nodded and pursed her lips. She sat down next to Eren, rubbing her hands on her knees, and after a moment, her leg started bouncing.

She noticed Eren watch her leg, then look at her face.

"What? I get nervous too." She said jokingly.

Eren laughed out. "Aren't you supposed to be an expert at these kinds of things?"

Petra laughed as well. "I suppose I am."

Eren's small moment of goodness faded. "What if it was my dad that gave out my number? Because if it was, then it wasn't because he wanted to."

It took a long time for Petra to answer, and Eren assumed that she wasn't going to. There was a soft whir in the room, probably from the lights and air conditioning.

"Don't think so dismally yet." Petra said sternly.

Eren shook his head. "How am I supposed to think? My dad's been kidnapped, people are being killed, Levi's gone, and I can't sleep-

He buried his face in his hands and rubbed hard. He was not going to cry, not here, not now. He needed to keep it together, he needed to stop crying every time things got hard.

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You can't sleep?"

"No." Eren answered, almost in a whine. "I have bad dreams, and they don't make any sense."

He lifted his head up, and Petra saw that his eyes were red around the rim.

"Look, it's not in my job description to tell you that everything is going to be alright. If you're looking for that kind of consolation, I'm sorry. No one knows how this is going to turn out, but you have a whole team of people helping you, and hoping that this turns out well. Erwin and Levi went all the way to Germany for you, and I have total faith in them. They believe your father is alive, and I haven't seen one of Erwin's hunches go for naught, not yet."

"And Levi, well, don't worry about him. He can take care of himself. He's also working hard to find your father."

Eren sniffed. He really appreciated Petra's presence and words, even if everything was going to shit.

"Thanks." He said, sitting back up. "You guys are all, pretty cool. Even Levi."

Petra smiled. "Yeah, even Levi."

Just talking about him made something in Eren's chest ache. To say he missed the man's company was a given, to say he was craving it was something else. He wondered exactly where he was, what he was doing, what he was thinking about. Probably not him, but sometimes, Eren liked to imagine that everything wasn't one-sided on his part.

He and Petra sat in silence, both lost in their own thoughts, then Gunther came back.

Petra stood up immediately. "Could you find it?"

"Yeah," Gunther drew out. "I found it."

Eren didn't like the tone of his voice, and he stood up to. "Where'd it come from?"

Gunther handed the phone back to him. "It came from here."

"What!?" Petra yelled.

"In this city, specifically the Trost area, back towards where Eren lives."

"It's not even an area code from around here."

"Must be a track phone." Gunther sighed. "I don't know who it belongs to, but it came from here."

Eren held the phone in hand, tightening his fist around it. "That doesn't make sense."

"Have you been in contact with any of your loved ones or friends since your protection program has been underway?" Gunther asked.

"No." Eren said. "Mikasa texted me the day of, when I first went to Levi's, but that was to just ask me if I was okay. My friend Connie sent me a long message about how everyone missed me a few days later, but I didn't reply."

Petra turned back to Gunther. "Would it be safe to question everyone?"

Gunther shook his head. "I'm not sure. If I could contact Erwin and Levi…

"Technically they aren't supposed to talk to anyone." Petra interrupted. "But this is an emergency. This person who sent the message could very well be the person behind the two murders. Not only do we need to contact everyone involved and warn them, but we need to figure out who it is."

Gunther nodded, but still looked unsure. "Do you want me to make the calls?"

"No." She answered. "When Auruo gets his ass to work in the morning, brief him and have him make the calls. I need you to tell police and Trost's sheriffs to be on the lookout for anything suspicious in the area, particularly Eren's neighborhood. I'll call Levi."

Petra pulled her phone out of her coat.

Eren spoke. "Wait, you're going to call him right now?"

"They're seven hours ahead," Petra said, placing the phone to her ear. "It's morning, they should be up, and if not, they better wake up."

888

When he saw Petra's name appear on his screen, despite his instructions to remain distant, and despite the delicious breakfast in front of him, he answered.

"Petra," he answered, "is Eren alright?"

"_Levi! Yes, he's fine. He's right here next to me. We're at the office now, including Gunther."_

Levi put down his fork. "What happened?"

Across the small table, Erwin placed his clasped hands underneath his chin and waited.

Jarnach had attended breakfast with them as well, as Erwin encouraged him to come. He continued to chew on his toast, albeit slowly, as he too watched Levi.

"Call Erwin." Levi said quickly. "Call him and tell him."

Levi hung up suddenly, and before Erwin could even ask what was wrong, his own phone was vibrating in his pocket.

"What is going on?" Erwin asked, answering the phone.

Levi looked to Jarnach and excused himself from the table, taking his phone with him.

He maneuvered out of the crowded breakfast hall. The three of them had walked there from the hotel for the superb eggs Jarnach had bragged of, and the man wasn't exaggerating.

The smell of coffee was in the air, there was chit chat in a language he didn't understand, and he was avoiding eyes and waitresses as he headed towards the exit.

The restaurant itself was in a back alley, which was majorly suspicious to Levi, but he saw so many people walking in, he figured it was okay.

Stepping out of the door with the chime of a bell, Levi grabbed his phone and quickly scrolled down until he saw Eren's name on his call log.

He dialed.

He heard Petra say he was alright, but he needed to hear him.

A few dials, and a pick up followed.

"_Hello?"_

_God_, Levi was glad to hear his voice.

"Eren, are you alright?"

"_Ye-yeah. I'm fine, I'm just confused and…I just don't understand what's going on."_

"I know." Levi said quickly. "But above all, you have to remain calm."

"_I know."_ Levi heard him answer in an annoyed voice; totally understandable. _"All of this is just pointing in a bad direction."_

A group of women waltzed by, short heels clicking on the stony pavement, laughing loudly. The world was still spinning, time was still ticking. Levi took a deep breath.

"Petra briefly mentioned that you haven't been sleeping well?"

He heard him inhale. _"No, I haven't really."_

"Bad dreams." Levi stated, leaning back against the hard wall.

"_Yeah."_ Eren responded. _"Nightmares that don't make any sense."_

"Do you want to talk about it?" Levi asked.

"_Uh, I thought, well, I thought we weren't really supposed to be talking anyway."_

Levi shrugged. "I'm poor at following directions, according to Erwin."

That made the younger laugh, and that was a relieving sound to hear.

"_The dreams started when all this…shit started."_ Eren spoke. _"They got worse when…_

He stopped. Levi had a feeling he knew what he was about to say, reading Eren wasn't difficult, even over the phone. But the answer would lead to a topic that he had tried his damnest to squash.

"When I left." He finished, voice softening.

This was bad. Even if Erwin knew, even if Eren had an idea, hell, even if Levi knew for himself, it was wrong and unattainable, and he had better sense than that.

"_Levi,"_ he said, almost in a whisper, _"how I acted towards you before you left, I'm so sorry."_

Levi shook his head 'no.' _"I should be apologizing as well. I spoke to you harshly, and I shouldn't have."_

Eren laughed dryly. _"Ah, no. You said what needed to be said. It's crazy to think that…well, you've been doing your job, and that's all that matters. I hope you and Erwin stay safe. Find my dad, okay?"_

Levi smiled a little, it was painful to hear. "Yeah. We will."

"_Okay, well, goodbye. I guess I'll see you at the end of this."_

"Yes." Levi nodded. "It won't be long now. Stay strong, Eren. Don't let Petra boss you around."

Eren laughed again, and Levi minutely wished he could stand there against the wall of that unfamiliar alley and keep talking to him, keep easing his mind of the situation at hand. But that was unrealistic, and he made a promise to figure all this mess out, so he would.

Levi didn't hang up until Eren did, and he lifted his head and stared at the blue sky peeking from between the sandwiched buildings.

Not tonight, but preferably tomorrow. With Shadis' permission, Levi could go ahead and go to the manor, following protocol. And with Hanji, Rico, Jarnach, and Erwin, they couldn't completely fuck up.

No one needed to end up dead by the end of this. No one else.

The restaurant door chimed, and Levi didn't even have to look to know it was Erwin.

"Eren's friends and their families will be warned. The police will be doing routine ride-by's on their houses. Petra and the others are going to find out who's responsible for the message, and we will execute our agenda as planned."

Levi looked down and over, staring at Erwin, who looked, for lack of a better description, quite bothered.

"Whoever sent that message could also be the killer." Levi stated. "Which means no one safe there."

Erwin nodded and stepped forward slowly, slipping his hands in his coat pockets.

"Well, you're not wrong."

He took the spot on the wall next to Levi, and also began to look up at the sky.

Levi looked over at him. Erwin was older, wiser in some things, handsome. He had potential to be anything he wanted.

"When this is over," Levi began, "I want a full, detailed explanation as to why you're stuck with this job."

Erwin laughed through his nose. "It's a long story. One that I'm technically not supposed to share."

"Whatever." Levi said. "It's just me. We'd be even, since you know everything in the world about me."

They stood there in silence, ignoring the few women that walked by them and stared. Jarnach came out a few moments later.

"Well, I paid the bill. And I called Shadis. Levi, he said 'tonight.'"

Levi looked down, and cocked an eyebrow. "Tonight?"

Jarnach nodded. "Tonight is the night."

Erwin spoke. "That was fast. The sooner the better. Levi, are you ready?"

It had been a while, honestly. It had been a long time since he was in a situation like this. He hadn't had a good fight in years. And it's not like he craved it, no, he was glad he didn't have to fight anymore. But it was like reuniting with an old friend, going dancing after years of not going out, eating a food you used to love, recalling an older version of you for a short amount of time.

The corners of Levi's mouth twitched, and they pulled up on one side.

He looked at Jarnach with a roguish expression he hadn't worn in a long time.

"Of course. It's what I'm here for."


	15. Chapter 15

He watched Pixis eye him steadily. Grisha thought the man looked tired, more tired than he had ever seen him. Surely, covering up and lying for years on end would exhaust anyone, but the older man looked as if he hadn't slept in days, which Grisha could understand; he hadn't slept either. He'd only been drifting in and out of forced unconsciousness.

The crinkles by his eyes looked like they had multiplied, now marking his cheekbones covered with sagging skin. The years had not been kind.

"What did you just say?"

Grisha swallowed dryly, saliva tasting like iron as it moved down his tight throat. He looked him in the eyes and said it again.

"The code. Eren has the code."

The man had chosen to take a chair and sit across from Grisha, that way he could lean back and sip out his flask comfortably. When he first told him that Eren had the code, and with affirmation, Pixis only had to ask him to repeat it one more time before he smiled coyly.

"Is that so, Grisha? All those times you were questioned so…_gently_, and you never told the truth."

"I wouldn't out my son. I didn't lie when I said Eren knew nothing about it. He doesn't."

Pixis tucked his flask back in the left coat pocket, sitting forward in the rickety chair and placing his elbows on his knees.

"You're telling me he has it, but doesn't know it."

"Exactly."

Pixis stared him down, searching for any inkling of a lie. He wouldn't find one, though, because Grisha wasn't lying.

Eren had had the code in his hands plenty of times, and never realized it. Mainly because he didn't know there was anything to realize, and because it was so discreet, on such a common object that no one would have ever thought to look.

Grisha never wanted to save the code on a piece of paper, not on a computer document. Not in a locked box. Nothing. Those were the places people knew to look. If it wasn't written down, it was floating somewhere digitally. He didn't want that.

When he first moved to the States, that piece of paper with those jumbled numbers and letters burned a hole in his pocket. Just carrying it felt like dead weight. But he never felt safe leaving it anywhere.

"Why now?" Pixis asked, smile disappearing. "Why all of a sudden? You've lost two good colleagues behind this."

Grisha took a deep breath. He had to sell this well.

"I don't care what you do. I just want to go home, back to my son, back to our lives. I want no part of this. Whatever monstrosities you want to create, fine. But leave me and my son out of this."

Pixis rose, making a grunting sound as his knees popped, then he laughed loudly.

"Ah, I'm up in age, Grisha. Not as spry as I was when you first met me, no."

He began to walk over to the clean body tables, running his fingertips along the silver edge.

"Monstrosities, you called them. Well, I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But they are not monsters, they are the next step in human evolution."

Grisha watched him from his confines in his chair, heart pounding.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone. You have to understand that. My intention was not to harm people, but there's no way to make a change without a few sacrifices, eh?"

He laughed again, making goose bumps rise on Grisha's skin.

"Why did you reel us in?" Grisha asked suddenly.

"If by 'us' you mean you, Nile, Mike, Moblit, and Hanji, then I can say that I had hoped you all would understand. Such innovative people, bright, enterprising. Especially that Hanji. And even you, in your youth, Grisha, you were the same. Fully ready to take on the world as a doctor and help people. You admired me, and that was flattering. I thought you would recognize innovation."

"Is it innovation or murder?" Grisha asked harshly. "These people you've taken from their families, the things you've done to see your dream come true. It's not enterprising, that's not innovation. It's murder."

Pixis turned back around. He looked disappointed, and that was worse than hearing him laugh.

"Of course, I was wrong. I was wrong about you and Hanji. Think about it, Grisha. In your line of work, before modern medicine, before medical laws, what do you think medical practices consisted of? Safe, humane acts? No. Things have to be toyed with some before you make a breakthrough. Soldiers experimented on, animal testing, tampered genetics, everything that the history books can't include. Those are the things that shaped the future, not only for medicine, but for life entirely."

"It's high time that man take the next step in his slow transformation. We could be better, stronger, faster, smarter, live longer! That's my dream, Doctor Jaeger. Not murder, not blood. And if it takes a few hundred or thousand lives for me to push that, then so be it."

He stepped in front of Grisha then, leaning down so he could be face to face.

His breath smelled like whiskey, and his cheeks were a little rosy.

"You say you want no part of it. That you'll trade the code for your freedom? As if I would ever grant that. You know too much, you and your son, even if he doesn't really know."

He leaned back up, walking around his chair so Grisha could no longer see him.

"I hope you know that I have someone that can get their hands on Eren. Tell me what the code is, and your son can walk away unharmed…for now."

Grisha inhaled shakily, wishing with everything that he had that this wouldn't blow up in his face. He knew Eren was being protected, he had been told so, by which of his three questionnaires, he couldn't remember. He had faith that he would protected no matter what. He had to.

"I have several keys to my own household. Eren has one, yet he somehow manages to lose his keys all the time. So, he just started carrying the spare, on a chain, around his neck."

He couldn't see it, but Pixis' eyes widened.

"The code, Pixis. I had it engraved on the spare key."

He barely had time to finish his last word before the large door was slammed behind him.

Grisha hung his head low, his neck and shoulders sore from being in that position for days.

When he married Carla, and they moved into their Trost home, he had keys made. Two for her, three for him. And one more.

A spare.

Engraving machines are simple. They can be found in a local grocery store if needed, so he utilized it.

In small numbers and letters, he had the code engraved on the spare key. That key stayed underneath his doormat for years.

Until Eren was old enough to be given house keys, and would always lose them. Constantly locking himself out. Grisha finally broke down and told him that there was a spare key, never anticipating that years and years later, that would come back to haunt him.

Eren never left the house without it. It was always around his neck. And if not around his neck, it was in his back pocket, the string poking out slightly. He never seemed to lose that one, although if he had, Grisha wasn't sure if he would have even been mad.

The spare key became his only key, and now, he was going to be hunted for it.

"Eren," he whispered in the dark, "please, be safe."

It was all he could hope for now.

888

"What? Tonight!?"

Rico's loud voice caught a lot of people's attention in the park, and she looked not at all apologetic.

Jarnach nodded, picking up his cup of freshly made lemonade and sipping it.

Both Erwin and Levi had opted out of the sugary drink, but Erwin didn't forget to buy one for Rico when she called them and told them she was on the way to the park.

Jarnach had told them to meet them in _Ruhe_ Square, a quiet family park not too many blocks from their hotel.

They sat round an outdoor stone table underneath an umbrella, shading themselves from the small bit of sun there was in the sky. The day looked dreary, threatening rain soon.

Erwin had explained the current predicament to Rico, ending the account with the fact that tonight was the night.

"We're pressed for time, now." Erwin resumed. "There's no time to sit and wait."

Rico looked at Levi. "Well, what about you? I haven't heard you say a word, and since you're actually the one going in…

She broke off and looked at Erwin, narrowing her eyes.

"Unless, you plan to go with him."

Levi looked over at his companion, not in the least bit surprised at the insinuation. If Erwin decided to come along, Levi wouldn't really welcome him, but he'd allow it. After all, it's not like he could tell his _boss_ 'no.'

However, he didn't totally want Erwin to come along. Jobs like this needed to be kept simple; one man. Too many people on the job could ruin it.

But as Levi had learned a long time ago through many accounts, Erwin saw things through to the end. Even though this mission was assigned by him to Levi, he was going to come as well. It was a given.

"I plan to." He answered straight-faced.

Jarnach choked on his lemonade, and he began coughing to clear his throat. Rico rolled her eyes and pat him on the back.

"Now wait, Mr. Smith." Jarnach sputtered. "Shadis informed me that you were to be prote-

"Shadis does not dictate my decisions." Erwin said, smiling. "I admire him, but he cannot convince me to leave one of my men in the field, alone."

"We don't know what we're up against." Levi countered, looking over at him.

"Exactly why you should not be left alone. Have you forgotten, I've had my fair share of missions too."

Everyone stared at Erwin, and Levi shook his head. He didn't know any details of Erwin's previous job, nor did he want to know. But he could tell, the man's experience, knowledge, build, tiny scars on his hands, all suggested that he had _indeed_ been there before.

"We need weapons." Levi stated, looking back at Rico. "I assume one of you knows something about that."

Rico clicked her tongue, an action Levi had always hated.

"We have guns." She said, nodding at Erwin. Then she looked directly at Levi.

"And knives." She added, her lips turning upward.

Levi smirked. "You've heard about me."

888

The station was busy in the morning, of course. Everyone was coming in to work, coffee could be smelled on every floor, and someone had bought enough doughnuts so that everyone could have at least two.

Eren was sitting in the conference room on Erwin's work floor. He had a small cup of coffee in front of him, more than enough sugar and creamer to go with it, and two glazed doughnuts as well. It was a small luxury that made him feel a little warm on the inside; made him forget what was actually going on.

Once Auruo had shown up to work, Petra quickly briefed him, which was funny to watch, because apparently the man wasn't a morning person whatsoever, and asked Petra to repeat herself multiple times.

Gunther had laughed behind his coffee cup, earning a glare from the Ral.

Earlier, Erwin instructed her to keep Eren in the police station. Since then, Auruo and Gunther both left for the Trost area to search for anything suspicious, ask the neighbors if they had noticed anyone unknown in the area recently, and to give discreet warnings to Eren's friends.

Eren missed them a lot. He wondered what they were thinking, or what they would think once they were informed that their lives could potentially be in danger. He hated that everyone around him became at risk from just _knowing_ him.

Petra was currently somewhere else in the station, although he didn't know where. She still had more work to do other than taking care of him. So, she left Eren in the conference room, the small box television in the corner on, but the sound on mute. He was too busy thinking about his conversation with Levi earlier.

'_Levi, how I acted towards you before you left, I'm so sorry.'_

'_I should be apologizing as well. I spoke to you harshly, and I shouldn't have.'_

Eren had this mock dream that at the end of this, they'd find his father, alive, like they had been claiming all along. They'd bring him home, Eren could go home, he could go to school, he could see his friends. Life could go back to normal. Maybe once he turned eighteen, Levi would…

"No." He said out loud, shaking his head. That was stupid.

That would never happen.

He hoped both Erwin and Levi would be unharmed. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but his father's kidnapping, two deaths in the city, and being stalked was enough information to let him know that whoever was behind all of his was dangerous. He was already hanging on by a thread, if anyone else got hurt, like his friends, Grandpa, or Levi, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

He looked through the blinds of the singular window in the room. It was going to rain.

He was feeling sleepy now, the nights of poor sleep and worry catching up to him again. He wanted to curl up in his roller chair and rest.

He groaned when he realized that he had left his headphones back at Petra's. He didn't like to sleep without music lately.

Just then, Petra poked her head in the door.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

Eren shrugged. "Sleepy."

Petra nodded. "Me and few others are ordering from that golf club in Trost for lunch later. It's hectic in here today, so I probably won't have time to stop back in before we order. What do you want?"

Eren rolled his eyes. "Oh, thanks. Um, just order me whatever you're getting. I'm not picky."

Petra smiled. "Alright. Nice and simple. You need anything else? We have some non-doughnut eaters in here, so if you want some more doughnuts you can have some."

Eren shook his head. "Nah it's alright. Maybe later."

"Okay." Petra said. "Eren, thank you for being so patient. No one wants to spend all night in a police station, but you seem to be doing well enough."

Eren smirked. "Careful, Miss Ral. Levi must not have told you, but I'll start clawing at the walls soon enough."

That made her laugh, and Eren was glad. She looked like she could have used one.

When she left, Eren did what he planned earlier, lying down in the corner of the conference room, and covering himself with his jacket. Oddly enough, he was perfectly comfy, or maybe he was just tired enough that sleeping on the carpeted floor didn't bother him.

He curled in on himself, moving around until he felt settled enough. This time, he didn't feel any apprehension dancing on the edges as he drifted off, instead, his mind was filled with thoughts of Levi. He thought about all the things they had done together in the short amount of time with one another, and he smiled, fingering they key around his neck before he fell asleep.

888

Mikasa avoided a playful slap to the arm from Krista, who was moderately irritated by the fact she was losing in Smash Bros.

They were all at Armin's house again, grouped in the living room, playing video games.

It had become a ritual of theirs since freshman year, and they'd all agreed that no matter what, at least every other week, they'd take a chill day and pig out on junk food that had no business in anybody's stomach, and play video games for hours.

Except, today was different, as was the last time they met up. Things hadn't quite been the same since Grisha had gone missing.

Not only was it a giant weight in everyone's stomach to even know someone that had been kidnapped, but even more for it to be their best friend's father, one who had been a part of all their lives for years.

That wasn't the worst of it. As for as everyone in their group knew, Grisha had been kidnapped, Eren had gotten hurt. Now, Eren was gone, isolated from all outside contact, Grisha had not been found, and two people had been killed.

The prying eyes and whispers at school were bad. The sympathetic looks from teachers and faulty were worse. Everyone in their group of friends had been called to the counselor's office twice to be reminded that if they needed someone to talk to, the counselor's office was always open.

None of them accepted any sympathy with warm welcomes.

The whispers and odd looks were irritating, the suspense, everything. It was taking a toll on everyone.

Especially Mikasa, who could grudgingly admit that Eren's wellbeing was one of the most important things to her on the planet. The only thing she knew was that Eren was being housed by that detective, Levi.

She didn't quite like Levi, not really. As Eren had described him, the man was uncooperative and aggressive. However, the one and only time Mikasa had talked to Eren, and that was through texting, was the first night Eren got to Levi's, and he told her everything was fine.

That was the last time they had spoken, and Mikasa had to swallow her apprehension and act like the lack of contact didn't bother her.

Grisha wasn't father of the year, but she would never wish this on anybody. Eren already lost his mom, he couldn't lose another parent. Mikasa knew that pain. Armin did too, although his circumstances were different.

"You're only half paying attention and still kicking Krista's ass!"

That yell, most definitely Connie's, broke her out of her brooding thoughts, and she concentrated on the screen.

Jean was on her left, and Krista was on her right. They had all played one-on-one, and they were the only three left. Whoever won this current match would play Jean.

Speaking of Jean, he certainly hadn't been the same. Not having someone to argue with regularly was getting to him.

But despite his love-hate with Eren, he was just as concerned, just as worried sick about the entire situation, and even more aggravated that he, nor anyone else, could talk to Eren.

Armin was in the kitchen with Sasha. Mikasa could hear Sasha raving about how awesome her apple dumplings were about to be. Armin had looked wary when Sasha brought in the ingredients for said dumplings, which consisted of apples and a lot of mountain dew.

Reiner and Bertholdt weren't there either. They left early, both saying they needed to study for something or another, which Ymir rolled her eyes and claimed that they weren't studying anything educational. Armin had blushed.

Marco wasn't there either, saying that he had to study. And everyone took that as gospel.

With half assed concentration, Mikasa won, much to Krista's squealing displeasure, and Ymir telling her to suck it up. Jean reached over for her controller, and smirked.

"Just you and me, huh?"

Mikasa smirked in return, turning her head back to the screen to see what character Jean would choose.

Just as the two of them were about to start their match, Sasha called out that the dumplings were ready, which everyone could smell. Connie was the first to dart to the kitchen, which made Jean make a comment about 'loving your wife's cooking.' Connie made no objection.

Mikasa stood up, reaching her arms up above her head and giving a good stretch. Krista moved past her, saying she would get back at her later for a rematch, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

It was Ymir. The taller teen always had a look on her face that signaled she was either annoyed, or needed to say something. Right now, she needed to say something.

"Hey," she began, "you don't really look like you're here right now. And you haven't been looking like you're here ever since…everything went down."

Mikasa didn't know how to respond, so she did what she did naturally, and that was get defensive.

"Look, I'm just worried-

"About Eren." Ymir interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're worried about Eren, and Mr. Jaeger. We know. Everyone knows. We're all worried, Mikasa. That's why we're trying to stick together."

Mikasa shrugged her shoulders, like she couldn't understand why Ymir was bringing up stuff she already damn well knew, which she regretted, because it just made her look like she had an attitude.

Ymir did her trademark eye roll. "Whatever. Gosh, I guess what I'm trying to say is…you're not alone, okay? If you need to talk about something, or stay after school at the gym and have me hold a bag while you punch, just say so, kay?"

Mikasa relaxed her shoulders some, nodding.

"Thanks."

Ymir smiled. "It's no problem. I just hate seeing that lost puppy look on your face. You and Armin both."

She hooked her arm around Mikasa's shoulders, rambling about how Sasha's apple dumplings were amazing, and warning her that she wasn't going to sleep tonight due to the excessive amounts of mountain dew she was about to consume.

Mikasa smirked, and walked in the kitchen. Connie was already wolfing down his dumplings, ignoring Krista telling him to slow down. Armin actually looked really surprised and happy with the dessert, and Jean was going on about them not being as good as his mother's.

She exhaled deeply. She felt a bit at ease.

888

Jarnach argued that if he could not convince Erwin to stay out of this, then he would escort them to the manor, while keeping his distance. Levi objected, saying that too many people would ruin the whole job, but Erwin and Rico both argued him, saying that a non-involved driver would do some good.

And that was when Rico decided she was going to come too. Levi was ready to curse, but Erwin assured him that both Rico and Jarnach were going to stay at the vehicle, which would be parked a ways away. Levi muttered something under this breath while inviting the whole gang while they were at it. They ignored him.

The way Jarnach described it, it was a manor all on its own, surrounded by massive trees, and not much else. He said that would give them plenty of ground to park a safe distance away, while Erwin and Levi walked the rest of the distance.

After their brief meeting in the park, they all went back to the _das U-Bahn_. Apparently, there was more than one secret, stuffy room in that underground place, and Rico led them around to the back entrance, taking them through several small halls until they reached a dirty room with the same carpeting and wall décor as the room they ate it. Except this room had no artwork for décor or chandelier, but weapons lining the walls.

Levi was _impressed_. The assortment was vast for such a small room. Knives of all sorts, guns, bullets, even weapons in disguise.

Erwin picked something simple; a gun, grabbing the clip to compliment it.

And as for Levi, he took his time. It's not like he could have brought his own assortment with him, not on the plane. He automatically assumed that whoever set him up for this mission would provide the necessary materials, although he preferred his own.

But this collection, it was nice. Corvos, Dirks, Jambiays, hunting daggers, even a Baselard; although, he could never conceal a Baselard, and it wasn't the 14th century, and he was no one's knight. But the design…

"See anything to your liking?" Rico asked from somewhere behind him.

Levi would try to decipher later why Rico irritated him so. It could be her natural habit of condescending to people, or her constant attitude in her tone of voice. If anything, her behavior with people she newly met was the same as Levi's.

Levi lifted a finger. "This one here," he began, gesturing to a nearly foot long dagger with an intricate handle, "what is this?"

"That is a hirschfanger." Erwin answered, studying the weapon before him. "German blade."

"Quite sharp." Rico added.

"Long." Levi cut in right after, making Rico raise an eyebrow. "Too long, but it is nice."

Levi swept his eyes again, trying to find a blade that would suit his attire for the night, and one that his odd-styled grip could handle.

"Perhaps when this is all said and done, Shadis wouldn't mind letting you take a souvenir." Rico added. Levi didn't respond.

Then he spotted it. A commando knife he recognized as French by the brand name on the small sheath around it.

He reached out his hand, touching the sheath, gripping it firmly as though to test its quality. He removed the blade from its place on the wall, pulling the sheath off with one hand while the other held the blade carefully like soiled linen.

The sheath was placed on the small, rickety looking table in the corner, and Levi brought the blade up to eye level.

Steel, polished, clean. No marks or kinks on the actual blade itself. It reflected the dim light in the room, making Levi's odd colored eyes stand out.

"This one." He said, lowering the blade and re-sheathing it.

Jarnach stuttered. "A-are you sure, Mr. Levi? That one is a straight edge, no curve to it at all. If you have to defend yourself, a straight blade won't do much."

Erwin smirked, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "His whole way of defending himself is odd, but it works."

Levi looked over at Erwin, and small clips of their past was moving in his mind. The first time they'd met each other had been on ill terms, but he Levi would never forget the look of surprise on Erwin's face when he demonstrated how he could use a blade. Odd indeed.

"Is that all?" Rico asked. "Just one knife."

Levi shrugged. "I don't see anything else I like."

"I was told that you preferred having both hands gripped around a-

"I can manage a free hand." Levi interrupted, then looked over to Jarnach. "What are you going to chose?"

Jarnach looked surprised, nothing unusual, and gaped. "Sir, why do I need-

"It would be best." Erwin explained. "Wishful thinking, should anything go askew."

Rico huffed. "Jarnach's aim is poor. Giving him a gun would be useless."

"And your aim is so solid?" Levi asked, turning to her, scrutinizing.

"It is." She said straight faced, unmoving.

"Well it would ease my mind," Erwin began, walking back over to the wall of firearms and picking something compact, "if both of you were strapped."

That's how the situation had gone. After retrieving their weapons of choice, Levi and Erwin were driven back to their hotel to change.

They were instructed to take the side stairs from their hotel floor and go out the back, just so no one else would see how they were dressed.

Jarnach had pulled the SUV around to the back, and he was standing in front of it, smoking a cigarette absentmindedly as Rico and Hanji conversed at the trunk.

Wait…

"Hanji?" Levi asked. When said person looked at him, she shook his head slowly.

"No. Not you too."

Hanji went into a drawn out rant about how this was personal business and she had 'a bone to pick with Pixis.' Levi didn't have time to think of a compelling argument against that before Erwin told her that it was no problem. The more the better.

He also had to fight back making a complaint about how all of them were dressed the same. Black pants, fitted black shirt, black jacket, and black combat boots. How his proportions were so accurate, he figured that had something to do with Erwin.

Their weapons were in the trunk, safe and concealed, and Levi began to wonder if he'd have to kill a man tonight.

And as the five of them rode in the SUV again, this time it wasn't filled with conversation. It was quiet, uncomfortably so. Even Hanji, who was looking dead serious tonight.

Levi thought about how many years Hanji had been burdened with Pixis, all the time she spent running. It would be good to bury the hatchet.

He briefly thought of Eren. He promised him that they'd find his father, alive. Erwin was hopeful, so Levi had to be. Eren needed his father back, he needed his life back. He needed to be a teenager and be normal and nowhere near him and all these negative circumstances.

They were on the highway, and it was dark. It was supposed to rain tonight, he could smell it in the air through his cracked window.

They were reaching the end of a journey, and the hardest part was right ahead of them.

Jarnach's voice cut through the dead silence, calling to Levi.

"Levi, sir, I apologize if I offended you earlier about the knife," he called back from the driver's seat. "I meant no offense."

"And none was taken." Levi reassured. The man had been incredibly awkward and apologetic their entire time in Hannover, and he wondered how a man like that could possibly get a job like this.

"I never asked," Hanji joined in from her spot next to him. "Why do you use knives instead of guns? For efficiencies' sake, a firearm is easier."

Levi looked over at Hanji's genuinely curious expression.

"The place where I'm from, the citizens were not allowed to house firearms." He said, shrugging. "I had to find a way somehow."

"A lot of practice?" Rico asked, looking back through the rear view mirror.

Levi blinked. "Something like that."


	16. Chapter 16

1His sleep had been dreamless and deep. It was almost the perfect nap until he received a very rude awakening.

"Wha-" Eren began, sitting up quickly, voice swollen with sleep.

The man hovering above him was familiar, as he was the head of the police department. He'd seen him a few times, whether on television or around the station. He might have came to Eren's house the night that Grisha was taken, but Eren couldn't remember anything vividly from that night other than being knocked out, Levi lecturing him, and Mikasa cradling him.

"Get up." He demanded.

Dietrich. Ian Dietrich. That was his name, or so Eren remembered. And the man didn't look like he was happy.

"There's been an emergency."

Eren was up then, bolting to stand upright and securing his jacket around himself, fixing his key to hang right around his neck.

"What happened?"

"You know a man by the name of Eld Jinn?"

Eren thought hard. The name sounded familiar, was it someone he was supposed to know? Mr. Dietrich looked impatient. The man was all sharp jaw and bones and it was intimidating.

"I don't-I'm not sure."

"He works with your father."

Eren nodded. He still wasn't sure who it was; a lot of people worked with his father. Two of them were dead already.

His green eyes widened. "Did something happen to him? Like Nanaba and Illse?"

Ian looked solemn. "Not yet. But he has gone missing."

He didn't even give Eren enough time to absorb that terrible information before he spoke again.

"Fellow employees noticed when he didn't show up to work, yet his car was still in the parking garage in its designated spot, with a note on the windshield."

Eren watched the man slip a piece of folded paper out of his pocket, and he handed it to him. He wasted no time in opening it, reading the haphazard text silently with his lips moving.

'_Eren Jaeger has the code. Bring him to 2000 Shiganshina Boulevard by midnight tonight, and send him to the 19__th__ hill alone. He might be able to save Mr. Jinn. And Grisha Jaeger.'_

His legs were about to give out on him, and he sat down at the small conference table, re-reading the note over and over again.

"Mr. Jaeger," Chief Dietrich began, suspicion well within his voice, "if you are withholding any information that would be imperative to this case, you need to speak up, now."

"I don't know what they're talking about!" Eren argued, still staring at the letter. Whoever wrote it, whoever it was, they thought Eren had some kind of code. Just like the text message he received.

"I don't have-

Before he could finish, Petra rushed through the door, frazzled and red in the face.

"Commissioner Dietrich, do not tell me that you are seriously considering going through with the instructions on the letter."

"Miss Ral, there is an active missing person here, and we are racing against time. I will make the executive decisions from this point."

Petra straightened her back. "Commander Smith-

"Is not here." Dietrich interrupted, leaning down to pull the letter from Eren's sweaty hands. "As far as I am concerned this is a matter for the police department now. Your two detectives who were originally assigned this case have jumped overboard, and I refuse to let someone else be murdered on my watch. Yes, we will be following the instructions on this letter. No, we will not leave Eren defenseless."

"I'll go." Eren interrupted, before Petra could talk her way into a demotion. "I'll go."

Petra stared. "Eren, that is not safe. Of everything that has happened so far, I would be foolish to just throw you to the wolves."

"I'm not going to let anyone else die or get hurt because of me." He argued calmly. "The text message, this note. Maybe I do have something they need, although I don't know what it is. But can't we just...I don't know, fake it? Send me to that location, have people on standby. Anything to kill time so we can figure out what the hell is going on!"

The two adults in the room stood still. Dietrich blinked as if that was exactly what he had been thinking of doing all along. Petra still looked apprehensive.

"Where is this place anyway," Eren asked, face hot and palms sweaty. "200 Shinganshina Boulevard is towards my side of town, Trost."

Just then, Gunther stepped in the lounge. "200 Shinganshina Boulevard is the address to the Trost golf club."

888

Just as they had discussed, they parked the SUV a safe distance away from the actual mansion.

Rico and Jarnach did as they planned, and that was waiting in the vehicle with weapons on both of them. Levi, Erwin, and Hanji were all given a small earpiece. It's not that they needed to be fed any kind of instructions, but when all of this hit the surface, and the police department and the respective parties were going to need substantial audio proof of whatever was going to go down in this mansion tonight.

"Avoid casualties if possible." Rico stated, still sitting in the passenger seat. "Do remember that this is primarily about retrieving Grisha Jaeger, as you believe he is here. Pixis and whoever else comes second."

Levi certainly didn't need to be told twice. Dr. Jaeger was the primary reason he was here anyway, why any of them were here.

Erwin nodded, as did Hanji. Levi gave the two they were leaving behind one last look before turning around and heading in the direction of the mansion.

For them, it would be a thirty minute walk.

"Well, this is a great bonding opportunity isn't it?" Hanji declared. Except the mirth wasn't in Hanji's voice as usual, and Levi couldn't say whether he wanted to walk in silence or make some quiet conversation.

"I was not aware we had things to bond over at this moment." Erwin stated, looking straight ahead.

They walked together, steps falling within each other, keeping quiet and listening out for anything that could be a threat in the dead of night.

"Levi" Erwin said lowly.

"Yeah?"

"Who do you think is the association between here and home?"

"Say that in a way I can better understand." He responded quickly, not in the least bit sarcastic.

"Who is doing the killing back home, if we're all here?"

"Maybe one of the hit men that broke into the Jaeger household stayed behind." Hanji suggested.

"Maybe." Erwin said.

Levi waited. "But what?"

Erwin looked over his shoulder. "But I don't think that's it."

Both Levi and Hanji stared at Erwin's back, waiting for some elaboration.

"Why are you even bringing this up right now?" Levi asked, mildly irritated.

"There's just one piece to this puzzle that is not quite fitting. Something that is not making sense."

"Which is?"

They heard a bird in the distance, perhaps a crow. Well that was certainly a lovely omen. Top that with them walking into imminent danger and Erwin having an epiphany in a dark forest, and Levi would say that it seemed more than likely that tonight was not going to go swimmingly.

"The night I called you over to the Jaeger house, the night you spoke with Eren, what were you told."

"A lot of shit, Erwin. Please, narrow it down for me."

Erwin stopped walking. "Eren said that that night, before everything happened, his father's behavior was strange. He overheard him talking on the phone with someone, they argued and Grisha said he was going to the hospital to handle some business. Except…"

Levi's eyes widened.

_When Eren had entered the kitchen, his dad stopped talking immediately and hung up the phone without saying goodbye to whoever was on the line._

_When Eren had asked who it was, and what was wrong, Grisha only said it was work and not to worry about it._

_As Levi had suspected, the house he was sitting in belonged to a doctor; a surgeon to be specific. Eren said that he argued with his father. Saying stuff that involved him declaring he wasn't a child and he knew he was lying to him; that kind of argument between parent and child. Grisha only grabbed his keys and said he was going to the hospital to handle some business, and he would bring dinner home later._

_It wasn't until 8 pm that Grisha came home. Eren said he looked more frazzled than he was when he had been on the phone, and he smelled like grass. Not the scent of a hospital. Grisha indeed had no food with him, but said he would order take-out. It was 9 p.m. when the doorbell rang, signaling a delivery. It was actually three men, clad in black clothing and black masks._

"Are you implying that whoever Grisha may have gone to see that night has something to do with the murders?"

"It doesn't fit with the story as a whole. I'm not calling Eren a liar, but Grisha, he was dishonest with Eren."

Levi sighed, not liking the way his heart was starting to thump. "Well there is grass all over the damn world, okay. He could have gone anywhere to meet anyone. It's unclear."

"With the words on the telephone being 'I dare you to try it' and 'It was an accident. Accidents happen,' I highly doubt what happened an hour later in that household was a coincidence. That much is clear."

Hanji cleared her throat. "Well, we'll just ask Grisha himself then." She paused to laugh. "Although, good luck getting him to talk beyond what he's comfortable. He can be such a hoarder with information sometimes."


End file.
